


Sector LN

by Gamewizard2008



Series: Kids Next Door Gameverse [40]
Category: Banjo-Kazooie Series, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (Anime & Manga), Codename: Kids Next Door, Disney - All Media Types, Little Witch Academia
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Fighting, Firebending & Firebenders, Friendship, Lightbending, Magic, Negaverse, battles, girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-07 16:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 64,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14674515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamewizard2008/pseuds/Gamewizard2008
Summary: The 6th story of the Newborn Saga, and the 7th Crossover Sector story, also called theNine Witches Arc. Diana, Atsuko, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, Jasminka, Hannah, and Barbara are Sector LN of the Avalaran Kids Next Door, the Nine New Witches of Luna Nova. As they are still a rookie sector, they aim to prove their selves, even if it means biting off more than they can chew. (Note: This takes place afterLittle Witch Academia.)





	1. True Respect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to improve their reputation, Atsuko Kagari suggests that Sector LN challenges Earth's Sector V to a battle.

**At first, I had no intention of giving Sector LN a sector story because the members were directly linked to their canon counterparts. But I had too many ideas for these characters that I couldn’t let go to waste, and seeing as my G/T story for _Witch Academia_ got way more Favorites than _World Rings_ is getting, you can understand why I wanna switch gears a little bit. After all, _Little Witch Academia_ is a show that leaves me desperately craving for more, but the only way to satisfy my lust is to write my own adventures for them. I also plan to include some ideas that didn’t make it into _World Rings_.**

****

**_

Chapter 1: True Respect

_**

****

**Planet Avalar; Grunty Industries**

High within Avalar’s Hivory Mountains lay the foundation of Grunty Industries, famous the world over for the manufacturing of magical medicines, magic-powered technology, and even magical foods. However, the wisest people would know of the horrors that take place in this factory, from the skin being shed off unicorns, the waste being condensed into pills (with just that extra drop of cream to make it taste good), or the snot that the man-sized bees were sneezing into the honeycomb cereal.

Today, the president of this corporation was walking out onto a landing pad. Aside from being a disembodied skull in a jar, she dressed cleanly and professionally, a jet-black suit to go with her shoes and hat, made lovely by the purple patterned tie.

_“This woman is Gruntilda Winkybunion, one of the biggest business tycoons on both Avalar and Galaxia. While the governments see her as an admirable businesswoman, we Kids Next Door know better. In the past, she kidnapped a young girl named Tooty with the intent to steal her beauty, and then she tried draining the life force out of her home island. On both instances, she was bested by a sentient bear and bird called Banjo and Kazooie, both of whom became famous KND operatives. But that was over 28 years ago. Banjo and Kazooie are retired operatives and have successfully run Grunty off their island.”_

Gruntilda and her vice-president, an obese bee called Capital B, faced up and waved as a cargo ship appeared to be landing down. A band of humanoid dinosaurs began to load crates into the factory.

_“Recently, she has begun working with the notorious Kremling Krew, and there’s no doubt that, through their resources, she has become an even bigger crime lord. Her appointment into the Corporate Presidents has further increased her status as a threat. That’s why all Kids Next Door sectors are encouraged to collect whatever info we can in the hopes of bringing her down.”_

_“Who needs info, Diana? We know that she’s evil, so all we need to do is take the fight to her!”_

A sentient weasel in a floating chair and a metallic left arm and eye began to carve open the boxes and study the materials. “Ah, Saurian Moon Seeds, yes, good, und here ve have ze Red-Eye fossils, ah ze eyes do stay intact, ja, and vhat marvelous stones, is vhat zey use to build zeir temples, ja? Vell, President Grunty, you can always count on zose reptiles to deliver ze goods, yes? A good eye for quality zey have, a very good eye indeed.”

“I sure hope so, Von Kriplespac. See what you can do, and do not slack!” Grunty ordered.

“Perhaps now we can design a more suitable body for Dr. Quack.” Capital B suggested. “He got stuck in the elevator again and I’m tired of picking him up.”

Indeed, a water dispenser with pink liquid and a duck’s head inside was knocked over in the elevator. “Quack! You’re gonna be begging for me when Trivial Pursuit comes on!”

“Hm?” Professor Kriplespac looked over at another box, which appeared to be shaking. “My, my, did K. Rool offer us ein pet? Hold on, little vermin, Doctor Kriplespac will cut you open, ja?” The weasel floated over with a knife and cut the box open. “JAAAA!” Colorful smoke exploded from the box and engulfed the room, throwing Capital B and Kriplespac into a coughing fit.

“Sorry, Grunty! But today, you’re going out of business!” The smoke cleared, unveiling seven witches in gorgeous silver gowns and hats, with their apparent leader, a red-eyed witch with brown hair, wielding a large beige bow. “Sector LN, tear this place down!”

__

_

“Leader” of Sector LN  
Japanese, Muggle-born witch  
“Numbuh Try” ATSUKO KAGARI

_

__

“It’s about time!” A salmon-haired witch with green eyes twirled her broom, lighting it on fire. “I was gettin’ sick of sitting in a box!” She aimed her broom around the storage room and set it all aflame like a flamethrower.

__

_

Pilot of Sector LN  
American, half-blood witch  
“Numbuh Fly” AMANDA O’NEILL

_

__

“RAAAK! Kriplespac, B, get them, you fools!” Grunty ordered. “Dispose of them and their fancy tools—AAACK!” A laser bullet sent the witch flying down the hall. The bullet originated from the gun of a short, navy-haired witch, her pupil-less green eyes fixed on her target.

__

_

Tech Witch of Sector LN  
German, Muggle-born witch  
“Numbuh Brains” CONSTANZE holy f***, that’s a long name

_

__

Capital B and Kriplespac retreated down the hall, the latter pressing a remote that sealed the room. Spikes grew on the ceiling as it began to come down. “Jasminka, hold it up while we get the door open!” Akko ordered.

“Okay, Akko.” replied a chubby witch with pink hair in large pigtails, having finished a donut before raising her arms and keeping the ceiling aloft with all her might.

__

_

Food Supplier of Sector LN  
Russian, half-blood witch  
“Numbuh Increase” JASMINKA ANTONENKO

_

__

A blonde witch with round glasses and short, rounded hair hurried up to the door and sang, “O Key Spirits, come to my rescue!” A little ghost popped out of the keyhole, taking the shape of a key and unlocking the steel door.

__

_

Ghost Whisperer of Sector LN  
Finnish, pureblood witch  
“Numbuh Series” LOTTE JANSSON

_

__

“Thanks, Lotte! Let’s move, team!” The others got out of the room, with Jasminka following slower to keep the ceiling raised, then letting it smash down once she was out.

“You won’t get away that easy!” A beautiful witch with bright blonde hair and green highlights cast magical chains from her wand that binded Capital B and Kriplespac in place.

“Which way did Gruntilda go?!” Lotte asked.

“I’ll find her.” Amanda stated, mounting her broomstick. “You girls just clear out the staff.” And she took off down the hall like a rocket.

The bodiless witch in question managed to get into an office, locking the door. “I can’t believe those Kids Next Door! If I don’t do something, I’ll be no—MAAAAH!” The door blew open, blasting Grunty against the opposite wall.

“Think you can hide from me?!” Amanda said, taking land.

“You can’t defeat me!” Grunty yelled, raising her wand. “I’ll end your life, little missy!” She fired green bursts of magic, meant to kill Amanda in a flash, but the American was swift in evading them, making it up to Grunty and kicking the wand out of her hand. “YAAAAK!” Amanda punched through Grunty’s glass case and yanked her skull clean out.

“Heh, if you were alive, this would be super dark. Oh well. AAAAAND TOUCHDOWN!” Amanda raised the witch like a withered football and SMASHED Grunty into a thousand pieces.

A pale-skinned witch with pink hair and gloomy red eyes entered the center of the factory, a massive pit of toxic waste. “It sure is a shame all this waste has to go to waste. Well, at least the explosion will be cool.” The ghostly witch shook up a bright yellow potion and chucked the whole bottle into the pit.

__

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Potioneer/Healer of Sector LN  
Filipino, pureblood witch  
“Numbuh Body Count” SUCY MANBAVARAN

_

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The seven witches took flight in the skies above the mountains, watching all the honeycomb-shaped towers combust into emerald flames. “The children of Avalar will be sleeping well tonight!” Akko declared. “Thanks to the combined efforts of the NEW NINE WITCHES!”

…

In reality, Akko was posing proudly atop a chair in front of a picture of Gruntilda. “And that’s my plan!”

“WOOHOOOOO!” Amanda cheered, whirling her arm. “LOVE that plan! Let’s do it, Diana, COME AWN!”

“Very impressive.” Diana replied in sarcasm. “But there are a couple of holes in your plan. The first one is that YOU’RE NOT THE LEADER.” She reached up and grabbed Akko by the ear, pulling her back to earth.

__

_

Okay, I lied. Akko is the Spy of Sector LN. The real leader is  
British, pureblood witch  
“Numbuh Pro” DIANA CAVENDISH

_

__

“And second of all, we can’t just barge into a facility and start shooting it up, wands blazing. Gruntilda is highly valued by both the Corporate Presidents and the government, and not to mention her powerful underworld allies. If we were held responsible for her destruction, both the KND and Luna Nova would face the consequences. It would do us all a bad name.”

“She’s right.” Sucy replied, casually dripping potion drops on little bugs in a cage. “I mean, why do you think no one’s tried to kill Dr. Eggman? The robots at Mechanos treat him like a god.” The bugs morphed into jellybeans before exploding into googly eyes.

“Also, where were WE in that little fantasy?” asked an orange-haired witch, folding arms alongside her gray-haired friend.

“Yeah! You said ‘Nine New Witches,’ but it was just you seven.”

“Oh, well you two turned into mice and were hiding in Diana’s pockets.” Akko replied, jumping back to her feet.

“What?! We wouldn’t DO that!” they both shouted, heads steaming.

__

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Fashion Designer and Botanist of Sector LN  
British, pureblood witches  
“Numbuh Snap” HANNAH ENGLAND  
“Numbuh Saga” BARBARA PARKER

_

__

“Look, you guys,” Diana sighed, “I’m only briefing what the Supreme Leader discussed with all of us Sector Leaders. We’re all required to keep our eyes and ears open for weaknesses in Gruntilda’s ranks, but there’s a chance neither of us will have the honor of stopping her.”

“But that’s no fun.” Akko moaned.

“It’s how it is, Atsuko. Now, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down so I can finish this briefing, that would be swell.”

“Hmmm…” Akko grumbled, going back to her seat.

“Hehe, you two have something in common.” Jasminka said to Constanze, who grumbled as well.

**That night, Team Akko’s room**

That night, Akko was already under her covers, except unlike the norm, Akko had her legs exposed as opposed to her head. This was only because she wasn’t sleeping; she was video chatting on her crystal ball, which displayed the face of a boy with bowl-cut hair, half-covering his blue eyes. _“Hi, Akko. You’re not busy up there, are you?”_

“Hi, Lee! No, just waiting to go to bed.” Akko replied, her arms wrapped around the ball. “The rest depends on my eyelids.” She smiled.

_“So, did you enjoy meeting Wendy the other day?”_

“Yeah! Me and her really hit it off. Though it was kind of awkward, considering that Romeo guy was in the same sector.”

_“Was he still upset that we ganged up on him?”_

“A little bit, but they were pretty sweet people. Hard to believe Wendy was just as talented as Diana, but nowhere near as snobby.”

When Sucy entered the room, she noticed how Akko was leisurely swaying her legs in the air. A smirk found its way on the potion witch’s face.

_“Yeah, but I don’t think Wendy had that luxury growing up. If you want someone to compare to Diana, try Sector V. Or at least Sheila Frantic; she’s all around talent.”_

“Heek ke-ke-ke-ke-ke…” Akko began giggling.

_“Hyeah, it is pretty funny.”_

“No no, I think someone’s tickling me. Sucy, i-hif’s that’s hyou, sto-hop it!”

“I’m over here, Akko.” Sucy replied from the desk, smiling at the large spider that was crawling around Akko’s feet.

“That reminds me, though,” Akko continued, restraining her laughter, “I saw some of your Earth operatives fight in Heaven’s Arena on TV. It’s a little disappointing they didn’t invite the other KNDs. I bet Jasminka would’ve made some hefty progress.”

_“Well, in all’s fairness, most of the action seems to happen on Earth. And because those operatives have been through so much, the arena guys prob’ly figure they’d make great fighters.”_

“Hmm… You know, that’s just what we need.” As Akko spoke, Lotte walked in—she repressed a gasp at the sight of the spider. She quickly grabbed her broom and swept the spider off, but Akko decided she’d had enough and KICKED Lotte in the mouth, without actually looking. “We need a way to make ourselves known to the universe. I mean, there were hundreds of sectors in Field Day, but it feels like only a few of them gained recognition. We need to show them all that other planets have strong sectors, too, including mine!”

_“Well, you won’t have much luck unless a catastrophe happens. And even then, the Earth sectors will be the first ones people will count on, not some random alien sector. No offense; heh, it’s not like my sector would be one of them.”_

“Yeah, well just you wait, Lee.” Akko pressed her face to the ball, giving Lee a view of the inside of her nostrils. “Sector LN will be the ones to ‘Wow’ the crowd! And here’s how we’ll do it!” And in a second, she was on her feet with the covers dropping on the floor. “Lotte, Sucy, get the others! I have an important announcement to—hey, what’s wrong, Lotte?” She noticed her friend wiping blood off her teeth with a napkin.

“You kicked me in the mouth!”

“You were tickling her.” Sucy informed.

“GRRRRR!” Lotte shot her an infuriated look.

**Once everyone was gathered**

“You want to do… what exactly?” Diana asked, wondering if her ears were deceiving her.

“We need a way to market ourselves, make other KNDs wanna call us for help in case of times of crisis!” Akko spoke passionately from the top bunk. “So, I say we challenge the strongest Earth sector to a battle! It’ll be Luna Nova’s Nine New Witches against Earth’s 11 top dogs!”

“Absolutely not. We won’t acquire fame simply by picking a fight with alien sectors. We can easily prove ourselves as operatives by completing missions as we are assigned.”

“But I don’t just wanna complete missions. I joined the KND to make kids happy, to inspire them to believe in their selves, just like Chariot did for me. And if we can fight the most famous intergalactic sector, even if we don’t beat ALL the members, and record it for everyone to see, it’ll inspire others to keep trying!”

“You don’t have to say more to convince me.” Amanda decided. “If it’s about upstaging upper classmen, I’m always game.”

“Plus, we could always make some new friends out of the deal.” Lotte figured. “I remember Constanze pairing up with that Artie boy on Field Day. And she even beat him during that quick fight, hehe.”

“Exactly! That’s why I think we have a chance at beating them!” Akko said optimistically. “Come on, Diana. Even you were saying their Supreme Leader was overrated.”

“Hmm… Well, I must admit, I would like to see if Sector V holds true to their fame.”

“DIANA!” Hannah shouted. “You used to hate everything Kagari did, why do you keep spoiling her now?!”

“I’m starting to miss the good old days.” Barbara folded arms.

“I would think you two would jump at the chance to humiliate a sector who thought they were better than us.” Sucy replied.

“Weeeell, when you phrase it like that…”

“Then it’s settled!” Akko cheered. “We’re going to make Sector V respect us! And soon, all the others will, too, and we’ll spread encouragement to all kids everywhere! YAY!”

“How do we even know where they live?” Lotte asked.

“That’s exactly what we have Lee for!” Akko held up her crystal ball. “Lee, think you can take us to Sector V’s school tomorrow?”

_“I’ll send you the coordinates. Hehe.”_

**Gallagher Middle School, the next day**

Gallagher had to be reconstructed after the events three years ago, and a middle school had been built in with the elementary. The members of Sector V sat waiting for class to begin. “Alright, class,” Ms. Rothmorgan began, “who’s ready to learn about World War II?”

 _“BOOOORIIIIING.”_ The class chorused.

“Can’t we learn about King Malladus killing a bunch of people?” a boy asked.

“No, I wanna read about the Nature Wars!” a girl followed. “Viridi is so awesome!”

“Look, I don’t care if the KND have a more interesting version of history.” She rolled her eyes. “World War II deserves just as much respect as any other war, and unless there’s a giant monster running around outside, I want no mention of the KND in this class.”

 _“SECTOR V OF THE KIDS NEXT DOOR, WE CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!”_ a squeaky high-pitched voice bellowed from outside.

“Of course we can’t.” Ms. Rothmorgan sighed in defeat.

“It’s coming from outside.” Aurora Uno said, everyone going to the window. There seemed to be nine witches outside on the playground, with a brown-haired one using a magic-made megaphone.

“YOU HEARD ME!” Akko continued. “The Nine Witches of Luna Nova challenge you! Your time in the spotlight has come to an end!”

“Akko, the pitch is too high!” Lotte whispered. “You need to adjust your magic level.”

“EHHH, BLIMEY!” Sheila Frantic kicked open the doors, cupping hands over her raccoon ears. “Can’t a girl cut class and run around the school without all this PAIN?!”

“That’s one of them! She’s Sheila the Sunny Fist!” Lotte recognized.

“Here come the rest!” Amanda pointed. Within moments, the nine members of Sector V had exited the school. The windows were filled with students and teachers alike, eager to know what invaders were challenging their strongest group of kids.

“At long last.” Akko said with a smirk. “Sector V.”

“Eh… who are these guys again?” Mason asked.

“EEEK! It’s her!” Artie panicked, hiding behind Harry at the sight of Constanze. “She wants to kill me! Her silence says it all!”

“And it wasn’t the mega blaster she hit you with?” the elder triplet remarked.

“Hmmm…” Constanze growled at him.

“We’re Sector LN from Avalar!” Akko replied. “The Nine New Witches of Luna Nova. We’re here to challenge you to a fight!”

“Sigh, does it have to be now?” Chris asked. “The teacher’s gonna make us stay late at this rate.”

“Maybe we should wait until school is out for them.” Lotte suggested.

“Well, not right now; I mean, we have to set up the cameras and maybe have it in a place with lots of people.”

“Look, we were planning to catch a movie tonight.” Chris replied. “I dunno what this is about, but we don’t feel like fighting.”

“What, are you chicken?” Amanda remarked.

“Not really. Just don’t think it’s worth our time.”

“Oh, so you DO think you’re too good for us!” Akko retorted. “ARROGANT HARDHEADS!”

“Akko, calm yourself.” Diana whispered.

“Alright, look, how about this.” Aurora began. “We’ll have a test fight with you, and if we’re impressed, we’ll schedule a serious fight.”

“That’s more like it! So, how should we do it, one-on-one, or all at once?”

“No, just Sheila against all you will be fine. She doesn’t go to this school, so she can test you while we get back to class.”

“Huh? But that doesn’t sound fair.”

“No, it’ll be fine, trust me. Let us know when you’re done, Sheila.” The others turned to head back in.

“STREWTH! I’m not holding back!” Sheila PUNCHED her fists together and unlocked Light Fury, turning her clothes and hair to solid gold.

Everything happened so fast, you would need slow motion to process it all. First, Sheila zipped to Diana at lightspeed and punched her square in the face, the heiress flying back as blood flew out. Then, Sheila linked her fists and bashed Akko in the head, her skull cracking. Next, she grabbed Lotte and Sucy’s faces in each hand and smashed them against the pavement. She spun toward Constanze and whipped her with her tail, then flipped and kicked Amanda across the jaw. She swung a mighty punch into Jasminka’s stomach, the chubby witch firm on her feet while sickness overcame her.

She then set her sights on Hannah and Barbara—they bowed to Sheila and said, “Please spare us.”

Haruka looked back for a moment, seeing all the witches on the ground, except Jasminka, who was holding her stomach. “Huh. Two seconds. Not bad.”

“Well, Oi’m not impressed.” Sheila shrugged. “Come back in about three years when you’re a little bit stronger.”

“Grrrr!” Akko propped herself up with her broom. “Hey, that’s not fair! You didn’t even give us time to prepare!”

“Well, that’s kinda Sheila for ya.” Mason replied, wrapping an arm around his mate. “She’s the Light of our team! Always leads us to greatness! Heck, she makes the Pirate Emperors look like pushovers.”

 _“To be honest, mate, the fat girl kinda hurt my knuckles.”_ Sheila whispered.

_“They don’t need to know that.”_

Meanwhile, the spectators had burst into laughter, pointing at the visitors. “Those witches thought they could beat Sector **V**?!”

“Hey, Halloween is over, nerds! Go back to Hogwarts!”

“Man, Twitcher is gonna explode when they get a load of this!” said a boy who had recorded the incident.

“Bet I can get more Followers than you!”

“We’ll see about that!”

“Alright, EVERYBODY sit down!” the teacher ordered. “If anyone’s getting Followers, it’s me, and they BETTER be you all following my lecture! (Still, no reason to pass this chance up.)”

Jasminka, Hannah, and Barbara helped them get back on their feet, with Akko and Amanda helping their selves to stand. “I’ve never been so humiliated.” Diana said with anger. “This was a waste of our time. Come on, girls, let’s go back home.”

“We can’t give up that easy!” Akko stated. “We give it a try, and if we fail, we try again! That’s our motto!”

“Akko, we’re far below their level, and they know it. That’s why they sent their strongest operative to get it over with quickly. And personally, I don’t feel the need to degrade myself, so let’s go.” And Diana marched off the school grounds, firm in her standing. Feeling saddened and discouraged (and also bleeding), the others followed her.

The eight other witches were about to mount their brooms, with Akko intending to transform and hitch a ride on one of her friends. Sucy took out a pink healing potion and passed it around to her friends to stop the bleeding. Amanda couldn’t help but notice how upset Akko looked, a look she commonly had whenever Akko was discouraged. Amanda shared her sentiments; after all, those Sector V kids were probably having a laugh right now, acting like it was the easiest thing in the world to beat them. The very thought angered Amanda.

“Wait a sec, what are we doing?!” the red-haired witch broke the silence. “Are we really gonna let some brats from this…this _backwater galaxy_ knock us around?!”

“Amanda, it’s no use.” Lotte replied. “All they need is their strongest operative to beat us. We wouldn’t last a chance against all of them.”

“This isn’t about actually beating them. It’s about making them respect us! They think just because they’re the top dogs, us alien sectors don’t matter. Well, I’m tired of people looking down on me. First it was the ogres and giants in my elementary school, then it was Diana, and now it’s these brats! You’re with me, aren’t you, Akko?! Let’s try again, just like you said!”

“YEAH!” The red-eyed witch was once again brimming with motivation. “You’re right, Amanda! Let’s show Sector V we mean BUSINESS!”

“Well, I will have no part in this.” Diana replied. “I want to get back to more important matters, like stopping Gruntilda. And as your leader, I order you to abandon this meaningless-”

“Come on, Akko, let’s find someplace secret and get some combat practice in!” Amanda said, mounting her broom.

“Sounds good to me!” Akko poofed into a mouse and landed on her friend’s shoulder. “Squeak, squeak!” And they took off across the neighborhood.

“You know, that girl is so easily influenced, it frightens me.” Diana sighed.

**After school was out**

“I still can’t believe Disney bought DC Comics.” Aurora said as they were walking back to the treehouse. “I mean, if it’s not money they’re after, what do they want?”

“Bet you they’re gonna buy out Warner Bros. next.” Mason replied.

“Haha!” Artie laughed, staring at his phone. “Check it out, guys, they’re already making memes about the fight!” The video in question was titled, _Gotta Go Fast, Sheila_ , and replayed the two-second clip of her thrashing the nine witches.

 _“Gotta go FAST! Sooonic—Gotta go FAST! Sooonic—Gotta go FASTER, FASTER, FASTA-FASTA-FASTER!”_ The last bit replayed her bashing Akko in the skull. There was also a picture of Hannah and Barbara bowing to Sheila, labeled _That moment when you realize Jesus is back_.

“HEY! Sector Dweeb!” The nine kids looked around, confused. “Up here!” They looked up and saw Amanda and mouse-Akko on a broom. “We’re not finished with you, yet! It’s time for Round 2!”

“And you BETTER say ‘yes’! Or ELSE!” Akko shouted.

“Wah!” Artie yelped when Constanze snuck up behind and held him at gunpoint. “Eeek! It’s the classic ‘take the weakest member hostage’ trick!”

“Ugh. What the heck is your problem, anyway?!” Chris asked.

“I’ll tell you what my problem is.” Amanda landed and marched up to the Uno son with a vengeful smirk. “Wanna know a little history about me, Uno? My ancestors were American wizards who were oppressed by Malladus back in the day. They were sick of the abuse, so they decided to move to Avalar. I got American blood in me, and we hold a grudge.”

“Hm. Seems like an awfully convenient backstory.” Chris smirked.

“Well, the fact is it’s true, so I think I deserve a little payback. ’Least you can do is give it to me.”

“In the meantime, I’ll deal with Sheila.” Akko decided, turning back to normal. “You haven’t begun to see what **I** can do, yet!”

“Hehehe! You are kinda funny, I’ll give ya that! Orright. Round 2 it is.”

“Fine, but we better make it quick.” Chris said. “We still need to pick Dillon and Vanel up for the movie.”

“Oh, we won’t give you that luxury.” Amanda smirked.

With that, both pairs of opponents met back on the playground, taking up opposite sides to avoid interfering with each other. “I’ll let you decide when to start this time.” Chris said. “Chances are I’ll knock you out in one punch.”

“Yeah, well I got news for you.” Amanda drew out both a wand and a rapier. “I took fencing lessons when I was younger, and I kicked butt. ’Course, I did have my own unique style.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

“And one other thing I forgot to mention.” Amanda linked the wand with the rapier, transforming it into a larger, golden sword. “My grandfather is the one who moved to Avalar. And he fell in love with a Solaran from Galaxia’s Sun.” Her red hair seemed to transform into a raging fire, just as flames ignited around her skirt. “That means I’m one-fourth Solaran. And we LOVE a good fight! HAAAH!” The witch LUNGED at Chris with a strong kick, blade aflame as she slashed at him. (Play “Let’s Just Live” from _RWBY_!)

“Heh! This is better than I coulda hoped!” Chris said, dodging the blade and punching a fireball at her face. He lit his fists on fire and countered her blade with equal strength, but when Chris could feel his knuckles cutting, he decided to fly backward. Amanda channeled more fire through her sword and extended the flame, slashing the ground and erecting a great wall of fire, Chris dodging to the right. “She’s a Solaran, alright. Either that or she’s been in her fair share of combat.” He watched as Amanda began to spin through the flames, amassing them back on her sword as her radius increased. Chris stood in place and tried to grab them in his own hands, and he grabbed Amanda’s sword when she spun toward him.

“’Guess that’s my cue!” Sheila said, quickly reentering Light Fury and zipping up to PUNCH Akko—the witch anticipated such an attack, and so she quickly changed into a fly, the wind from Sheila’s punch blowing her upward. Then Akko became a slug and plopped onto Sheila’s hand. “NNNHH! ’ey, get off me!” Sheila shook her hand, but Akko sported a joyful smile, wiggling her slimy body. Sheila lit her other fist and brought it down, but Akko became a spider with plunger legs and flipped to the underside, causing Sheila to punch herself. The force knocked Akko to the ground, but she recovered and leapt over to bite Sheila’s leg. “YOW! You bloody bug!” Sheila used Light Feet and ran around to shake her off, but Akko’s teeth remained lodged in the flesh.

Amanda stabbed her sword into the ground and maneuvered the fire underground, Chris jumping away as it sprouted up beneath him. It became a Fire Snake, gnashing its fangs at the Uno, but he grabbed both ends of its mouth, holding it back as he began to slurp the flames in. “He’s a Dragon-type bender?! Dammit!” Amanda called her flames back, and to confirm this, Chris formed flame wings on his back and flew at her, doing a Torpedo Spin that Amanda blocked with her sword. Chris stopped and did a flip-kick, Amanda throwing her arms up while holding onto her weapon, but Chris seized the chance to blow fire at her chest and send her back.

“Is this really the best you got? I had harder battles in my sleep.” Chris said. He flew at Amanda and pushed against her sword, the girl trying to stay firm on her feet. Chris blew fire at her face, Amanda enduring and merging the fire with her hair. Anger was clear in her eyes as she swung a kick up at his stomach, the force sending him airborne. Amanda followed this by leaping up and kicking Chris down to slam against the concrete. She landed on her feet and said, “Heh. Too tired to get u-” But then Chris grabbed her leg and slammed her down, tossing her away afterwards.

“Nah, I just thought I’d let you get some hits in. You’re really not that tough, to be honest.” This statement fueled Amanda’s anger, her hair rising higher as she fired twin beams at Chris, who easily grabbed them and swung them up and down like they were jump-ropes. Amanda swung them to the sides and ran down the middle, intending to pierce Chris with her sword, but the Uno readied both hands and blocked. His palms were punctured, but he was able to take the sword and fly away, ripping the wand from it and throwing both items apart.

Sheila stopped running lightspeed, but Akko wouldn’t come off, so she grabbed the spider and threw her away—Akko morphed into a giant purple bat with gorilla legs and flew down to STAMP Sheila in the face, changing back afterwards. Sheila bounced back to her feet and ran to PUNCH her, but Akko was revealed to have a springy snake neck that stretched yards backward, and she grabbed hold of the Faunus’s arms before the head came back and dealt the most painful headbutt. This time, Akko changed back, but was not prepared when Sheila kicked her in the leg, then the Faunus spun around at lightspeed before hurling her opponent to the roof of the school.

“Blimey, that was annoying.” Sheila sighed, deactivating her fury. “Well, no one survives after a hundred good spins. Not without a full stomach, hehe.” She turned to rejoin her friends.

That was when Akko zipped up in the form of Road Runner, albeit with a longer, pointier beak that she used to pierce Sheila in the back. Sheila punched back, but Akko had zipped away, reverting to normal.

“Now I see, huff, huff.” Akko panted, smirking confidently. “When you go lightspeed, you exhaust much more energy than going at normal speed. Lucky you have your Mobian reflexes to help with that. But I got enough speed to keep ME goin’!” Akko transformed into a cheetah with Road Runner legs, running at breakneck speed to get behind Sheila—who lit her tail up with light and began twirling it at lightspeed, causing it to inevitably whack Akko again when she tried to bite it.

“Just because you know one little weakness doesn’t make you any faster than me!” Sheila used Midas Body and ran lightspeed again, Akko trying to run equally fast, but Sheila was able to grab her tail and slam her back and forth against the ground. Sheila then sunk her teeth into the makeshift tail, forcing Akko to cry in pain before changing back. But in this weakened form, Sheila leapt above Akko and smashed her head against the ground.

Amanda had to resort to shooting flames at Chris, but he effortlessly ate them up. “Grrrr! You think you’re the only one who can take the heat?! I know you’re holding back with me, Uno! Why don’t you give me what you got?! Heck, give me ALL you got! Stop treating me like a child and give me every ounce of fire you have, FULL FORCE!”

“Hmph. You asked for it.” With that, Chris ripped off his headband. Amanda was struck with horror at the sight of his Combustion Eye. The eye glimmered like a small sun as a red aura took shape around Chris, with horns like a demon. Immeasurable power began to build in his eye, and he would unleash it all at Amanda.

“Stop.” Amanda said, getting to her knees as her flames died. “I… give up…”

Chris’s Fury switched off. “Yeah, I would, too.”

To Sheila’s surprise, Akko was able to stand after that attack, blood leaking from her nose and mouth. “Alright… you’ve left me no choice. It’s time for my secret weapon.” Akko grabbed her satchel and drew from it a beige staff with a golden ornament and seven crystal orbs dotted around it. “Shinyyyyy ARC!” The staff shone with a great light before morphing into a large bow, with which Akko pulled back an arrow of light.

“AKKO, DON’T!” Diana shouted. “SHE’S A LIGHTBENDER, SHE’LL-”

But Akko loosed the arrow, hitting Sheila dead on as the light exploded! That was because she easily blocked it with her hand, Sheila spinning her arm and the light along with it. “Bad idea. Shinyyyyy FIST!” And Sheila sent it back in the form of a bright green fist. Akko kicked her legs with all her strength to dodge the attack, but Sheila held onto it with light strings, redirecting it to punch Akko in the back of the head. The witch coughed blood and stumbled forward at a fast pace, unable to see or think clearly with a throbbing pain in her skull. Sheila seized this chance to run up and punch Akko in the gut so hard that she flew across the playground and slammed against the swingset. Akko collapsed on the ground, out cold. (End song.)

“AKKO!” Diana cried, the first one to run to Akko’s aid. One of her eyes was half-closed, and they were both murky. “Akko, say something! Are you okay?!”

“Nnnnuuuhhh… my teacher is a fish…” Akko mumbled.

“Great. We’re done.” Chris said. “Alright, team, we have a movie to get to.” He was about to walk away.

“Wait!” Amanda shouted. “Huff… You could’ve ended that fight anytime. But you were holding back. Why?! Do you think I’m just a child?! I’m OLDER than you! We all are! And you act like you own the universe!”

“Because I’m sick of it all.”

“What?…”

Chris sighed. “The year was 2032. Or, as I call it, the Worst Year in All the KND. It began with a simple graduation ceremony. We watched a giant girl join the KND. And just as I was expecting a nice, normal day, Cheren was all, ‘Sector V, I need you to go on a big space mission to help Nebula save the universe.’ When we came back, we ended up losing a teammate, and Dillon was upset for days. But all of a sudden, we have to go on ANOTHER adventure to save Cheren’s girlfriend from Big Mom, and I got humiliated by a guy in a pots and pans suit. But then we won, and the day was saved. But can you guess what happened NEXT?!”

“Oh, boy…” Aurora sighed.

“FUCKING SEVEN LIGHTS AND THIRTEEN DARKNESSES! An entire month of nonstop pain and worrying! My mom and dad died, the whole universe died, and for three years, it was nonstop training, never knowing if we would be strong enough to win. We gave up our humanity and became monsters. And after all of it was done, after three fucking years of fear and turmoil, I just want a break. For three years, all people cared about was getting stronger, getting more powerful, and all we want now is to live in peace. And where was YOUR sector during all that? Where were you while we were risking our lives?”

“I… Sigh, we were still in school.” Amanda spoke hoarsely, her anger replaced with shame. “We only joined KND back in May.”

“Exactly. You’re still rookies. You have no idea what we’ve been through, and you never will.”

“…You’re right.” Amanda turned away in shame. “You have no reason to respect us. We don’t deserve your respect.”

“Amanda…” Lotte spoke solemnly. Amanda almost never showed such humility. She took far less damage than Akko, yet she seemed to take the biggest wound to the heart.

As Lotte was wiping the blood off Akko’s face, the Asian witch brushed her hand away and stood, limping over to Sheila with a firm expression.

Sheila gave a sigh, hands on her hips. “Old Chris, always overdoing it. Huh?” She felt someone grab her tail, looking back at Akko, whose knees were twitching. “Blimey, you still wanna fight?”

“No matter how much I bleed… I’ll never stop trying.” Akko gasped. “If you break my arms, my legs, or my eyes… I’ll keep trying to beat you.”

“…” Sheila grinned and reached a hand up to her shoulder. “I happily acknowledge you as my equal.”

“Whoa!” The statement caught Mason by surprise. “Did you hear that?! Sheila doesn’t even consider Maddy her equal, and they’re evenly matched!”

“That’s a sign of true respect right there.” Harry said. “Unlike Chris, Sheila was actually fighting seriously.”

“Hm. At least someone had fun.” Amanda sported a light smile.

“Yeah. But I will admit, you do have gumption.” Chris said. “If you’re really set on beating us, I might know a way to help. On Moonbase, we have a Mission Simulator that can take you to a virtual simulation of operatives’ missions. We use it to train sometimes by setting it to the highest difficulty. If your sector used it, you can play all our missions and face all the same battles we did.”

“No offense, but we don’t need that.” Amanda replied. “Your experience may be years ahead of ours… but the nine of us will make our own experience. We’ll go on our own missions and get our own bruises. And one day, we’ll be as strong as you are! Isn’t that right, Akko?”

Akko remembered saying something similar once. She could tell by that look on Amanda’s face that she took a hint from her. “Yeah… we will!”

“Hey, Haruka!” Sheila yelled. “Get this bloody girl some medicine! She needs all the healing items she can to beat me!”

“Right away, Sheila!” Haruka ran up.

“Move aside.” Sucy nudged her off. “My potions are WAY more effective than your mummy wraps.”

“I’d much rather be poisoned by Sucy than some stranger, anyway.” Akko remarked. “But it’s not pretty fair to our fight.”

“Ah, that’s hogwash, it is.” Sheila stated. “No matter how good you are, you’ll never win by yourself. That’s why we have mates.”

“It sure is…” Akko nodded, completely agreeing.

“We’re never gonna catch that movie.” Artie sighed, still being held at gunpoint.

“Hmph.” Constanze grunted, not caring.

After Akko was healed, both sectors watched as they resumed their fight. Since Akko’s Shiny Rod was useless against Sheila, she had to be more clever and think quicker in her shape-shifting. “Sheila may be your Light,” Amanda said to Chris, smiling at their brawl, “but Akko is ours.”

“I can see why. I can’t tell what it is… but there’s a similar energy about them. I can feel it.”

_

There was once an ancient tradition where two people become brothers when they exchange blood.

_

Akko became a parrot and flew above Sheila, then became a rhino to Ground Pound her. Sheila fired a Light Beam straight up, but Akko became a rattlesnake as the light flew straight through her spring-like body. She landed and caught Sheila, beginning to squeeze her, and Akko grew cat claws to tear at her face.

_

Nowadays, people stopped doing that because it was disgusting. However, there came a new tradition where two opponents clashed on the field and spilled each other’s blood.

_

Sheila ran yards away and raised her hands, beginning to gather the sunlight and form a giant Light Sphere. Sheila charged a great jump and hurled the Light Sphere dead on, but Akko became a Blastoise with a silver shell and bumped it back at her opponent. Sectors V and LN decided to sit down and relax, knowing their friends would be busy for awhile. Some straying students were drawn to the fight, recording it on their phones.

_

For when their blood mixes together on the surface of the field, a mutual respect is formed. A sign of true rivals fighting together with equal passion and power.

_

Akko became a bull and charged at Sheila, who spun her fist, ready to punch her in the head. That’s when Akko became a unicorn and PIERCED Sheila’s fist, but the impact was strong enough to bend the horn, dealing as much pain to Akko. “I expect you all to clean that mess up!” Ms. Rothmorgan yelled.

“BUG OFF!” Akko and Sheila told her. “We don’t go to this school!”

 

**Another benefit to this story is giving Gruntilda some development as well. Now introducing her two henchmen, Capital B from _Yooka-Laylee_ and Kriplespac from _Conker’s Bad Fur Day_. And I couldn’t resist making Akko and Sheila friends. I just couldn’t.**


	2. Uncharted Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nine Witches decide to explore a planet other operatives have feared to set foot on.

**Today, we’ll see a world that didn’t make it into _World Rings_.**

****

**_

Chapter 2: Uncharted Territory

_**

****

**Luna Nova; Team Akko’s Room**

“Mmmm…uuuhhn…” Vision finally returned to Akko’s eyes. She could make out a blurry figure with a greenish, banana-colored top, which was revealed to be Diana with her usual, disapproving stare. “You really are a pain to deal with, you know?” she asked.

Akko realized she was on her bed, and their friends were all bundled in her room. Akko herself had several bruises and an ice bag on her head. “I guess Sheila really got me good…” She spoke through gaps in her teeth.

“You should consider yourself lucky. You could have gotten brain damage, or worse.” Diana said furiously. “Honestly, it’s like you don’t even care if you live or die sometimes. Imagine how people would feel if you were gone. Your friends would be crying for months.”

“Geez,” Amanda remarked, painting Lotte’s nails on the top bunk, “why don’t you two just hook up and be gay already?”

“Please.” Diana sighed. “The point is, Akko, you’re incredibly reckless, and that’s going to get you in trouble in more ways than one. The Supreme Leader heard about the fight from Earth’s leader and deducted points from us for picking a fight without permission. So, once you’re all healed, I expect you to clean the base from floor to ceiling.”

“That’s not faaaiiiir.”

“Come on, Diana.” Lotte smiled. “We may’ve lost points, but we did make some new friends.” She bent over the side of the bunk and held her crystal ball down. “Just look.”

_After Sheila laid one last good punch against Akko, the battered witch finally fell in defeat. “Heh… blimey.” Sheila panted in exhaust. “I was afraid… she’d never go down…” And she fell beside Akko, snoring away._

_“That girl is something else, let me tell you.” Diana said, standing up._

_“She sure is.” Aurora replied. “Congratulations, you passed the test.”_

_“Huh?”_

_“We said we would give you a test fight and you passed. So, now we’ll schedule a serious fight with your sector.”_

_“Oh, I appreciate the gesture, but that was just an impulse idea. I don’t think we’re ready.”_

_“Oh, we make those all the time!” Aurora beamed. “We’ll let you pick the time and date. Take all the time you need to get ready, but we hope to see you again in the future.” She reached a hand._

_“Hm… Thank you, Aurora.” Diana shook her hand._

The crystal ball showed a picture of the two sectors interacting. _Is this a sector alliance?! Are they another planet’s top sector? Oh gosh, Haruka/Sucy, best of friends!! I love that red-haired witch!_ These were some of the comments.

“Yes… in spite of your reckless actions,” Diana said, “we have gained some recognition. In fact, if I’m being honest… seeing you fight, Akko… it was like seeing a whole new side to you. It was… motivating.”

“You just can’t stay mad at her, can you, Diana?” Hannah replied.

“Do you remember what I told you, Akko?” Diana asked, facing upward. “I believed that you could change the world if you tried, and I still believe that. But we are one sector out of thousands on one of thousands of planets. We may never come close to the level of Sector V, but that does not mean we cannot set an example. As the pride of Luna Nova, it is my duty to be the greatest and give my peers something to strive for. So, with that in mind… I’ve decided on our next mission.”

They headed down into the base located under Team Amanda’s room. Diana brought up an image on the screen. “This is the GKND’s Guide to the Galaxy, a digital booklet describing all the planets under the KND’s name. There is also a list of known planets that either have no KND, or have not been explored by any KND.” She showed them the list. “Any sector that were to explore these planets and return with new information would receive extra points and be credited for the deed. So, my proposal is that we select one of these planets and go on an adventure.”

“YAY!” Akko cheered, kicking her feet and arms up. “An adventure on a new planet! I’m so excited, I can’t stand it!” The shifted weight caused her to fall back in her chair. “Ueck!”

“You all should count yourself lucky Diana’s letting you in on this.” Barbara said. “She could lead an expedition all by herself if she wants to.”

“Yes, well, I wouldn’t be much of a leader if I didn’t have my team. So, let’s take a look at our options. First, there is Sweetopia, the Food Planet. However, this has long been under the control of the Big Mom Pirates, and given the resurrection of their queen, this planet has become forbidden territory for us operatives.”

“But it looks so delicious.” Jasminka said sadly.

“I doubt even _you_ could stomach that much food, Jasminka.” Lotte replied, giggling.

“But Sheila was the one who defeated Big Mom!” Akko got back up, raising a fist. “I’ll bet the nine of us could take that 5,000-year-old queen down easy!”

“Forget it, Akko. We don’t even know a way to stop Gruntilda, yet, so we’re best staying off that planet for as long as we can.”

“I know.” Sucy began with a wicked grin. “Let’s explore Planet Venom.” She pointed at a dark-yellowish planet with gas-green clouds floating around it. “I bet it smells amazing.”

“The air is toxic, the sea is acidic, and in the past, it was consumed in war for about 30 years.”

“Yeah,” Barbara replied, “if we’re gonna colonize a planet, I want one with a little more civilization.”

“Hey!” Hannah beamed. “Let’s go to Planet Yarn! I hear they make the most beautiful dresses in the universe!”

“Not a bad choice.” Amanda smirked. “I wonder how it’ll look if I set it all on fire?” Hannah shot her a glare.

“What about the planets in New Galaxia?” Lotte asked. “I’m sure there’s a BUNCH of fun places to explore there.”

“WAAAIIIT!” Akko’s eyes sparkled, charging up and stamping her finger on one. “We’ll go to THIS planet!!”

Their eyes fixed on the wacky planet with bulgy-eyed clown heads with nosehair roller coasters and big bouncy jelly balls. “Bobopolis?” Diana read.

“It’s the planet that was created by that Zach boy on Field Day! It says that all operatives are too scared to set foot on this planet because of Zach’s crazy sense of humor! Imagine if WE were the first operatives! I mean, just how bad can it be compared to the other ones?”

“That planet looks so childish.” Hannah said with disgust. “How could anyone be scared of it?”

“I have heard rumors of Zach Murphy’s method of fighting.” Diana folded her arms in thought. “Apparently, while it isn’t designed to hurt people, it drives them to such insanity that they faint. It even resulted in the death of Dr. Nefarious, the most wanted criminal of the Solana Galaxy. I would question how such a style is productive, but the results speak for themselves. We directly witnessed the planet spawn from Zach’s body. The very thought of such power… is terrifying…”

“So, what? We aren’t gonna go?” Akko asked.

Diana faced her with a confident smile. “I’m far used to YOUR childish antics by now, Akko. Whatever this planet brings, I think we’ll be able to handle it.” She balled her fist and announced passionately, “We have our mission, team! Tomorrow, we explore Planet Bobopolis!”

_“YAAAAAAY!”_

**Tomorrow**

Sector LN rode to Bobopolis on Constanze’s Stanship, a huge red ship with a golden hull. It was rebuilt with a roof, windows, and interior cockpit so it would be suitable for space travel. The girls were dressed in casual attire – Akko had an orange T-shirt with a blue star, black shorts, and green sandals, and Constanze had a green “E=mc^2” shirt and blue jean skirt for instance. Diana, however, insisted on wearing her witch’s attire to represent Luna Nova pride.

Bobopolis was located right next to Amazonia. “I can’t believe those poor Amazons have to put up with that planet.” Hannah said.

“I can’t believe they didn’t explore the planet their selves if they’re so close.” Akko followed. “Is it because it was made by a boy, or are they just that scared?”

“We’ll see for ourselves soon enough.” Diana said, sitting in the captain’s seat. “Amanda, set a course for that giant bag of bird tails. That seems like an interesting place to start.”

“Aye-aye, Cap’ndish.” Amanda remarked, riding a broom to steer the ship. They drew ever closer to the unexplored planet, excitement and anxiety filling their hearts. They were moments from passing the atmosphere and seeing the surface in its glory.

Then, their ship crashed into an invisible, rubbery substance and bounced backward. “What?!” questioned Diana. They watched as a charming, friendly face formed before them, covering the central chunk of the planet.

_“Hi there! I’m the Bobopolan Atmosphere. I protect the planet’s oxygen, ensuring life for all the wonderful creatures that live inside me.”_

“Oh God, we can’t go to this planet.” Barbara said in fear.

_“Patience, my children. All I wish is for you to have a fun, oxygenated experience on your trip to Bobopolis. If you wish to continue, simply fly through my left tear duct. It is the only entrance big enough to support your vessel.”_

“All right… I won’t question it.” Diana sighed. “Do what he says, Amanda.”

“Hmmmph.” Constanze grunted, angry that her precious ship had to make a journey so degrading.

Amanda steered the ship toward the atmosphere’s left tear duct, and the second they entered, they were whisked into hyperspace. Amanda kept the ship steady until they reached the light at the end of the tunnel, and once there, Amanda immediately pulled her broom to a halt before they crashed on a giant plum with a troll face. “Grrr. We haven’t even landed and I’m sick of this planet. The sooner we’re done here, the better.”

Amanda parked the Stanship next to the plum as everyone stepped outside. “YAHOOOOO!” Akko cheered to the heavens. “A WHOLE NEW WORLD! Quick, Hannah, get my picture!” She ran ahead and posed before a mountainous landscape, which looked like sloping CDs with sunglasses. “Sheila’s gonna be SO jealous when she sees I landed here first!”

“You’ll adjust to this world quicker than anybody.” Hannah remarked, taking the picture.

“Hahaha! Yay!” Akko twirled.

“This planet doesn’t seem too bad so far.” Lotte smiled. “They were probably overselling it. Well, where should we go first? The CD Mountains? That Nosehair Forest? The Screaming Wallpaper Cliff?”

“We need to go to a town and collect information from the locals.” Diana replied. “I say those buildings shaped like arm-wrestlers are a good place to start. …As odd as it feels to say that sentence.”

“Alright. Let’s hop to it.” Akko said, skipping in that direction.

“HOLD ON, GIRLS.” They gasped and whipped around: the other three landscapes had grown angry faces. “What the hell does Arm-Wrestleville got over US?!” asked CD Mountains. “We ain’t good enough to explore?!”

“YEAH!” shouted Nosehair Forest. “We’re SICK of people overlooking us because we cheated in the golfing tournament! LET’S GET ’EEEEM!”

Some gangster music started to play as the landscapes began bashing the girls back and forth like angry desk portraits. To and fro and fro and to, and even a “Q”, and when the girls were flying toward the Wallpaper Cliff, they screamed, “GAAAAAAAHH!” and fired a cannonball shaped like a traffic cone with a baseball bat. The cone swung its massive bat and sent the witches flying at breakneck speeds.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” They were flying so fast, it rivaled even Sheila’s speed, Akko thought. “HUH?” They looked around, seeing a flock of stuffed lions munching on music note cereal.

_♪ “Sooooaaaaar above the clouds and chew sweet muuuuusic all around!” ♪_

“At least Zach knows how to add charm to a planet!” Lotte said. “This whole thing is probably an elaborate welcome party. I bet you we’ll land safely on a big, bouncy talking gum-”

 _“DAAAAH!”_ They were SQUASHED under a giant football with Glenn Quagmire’s face. “Hey girls, ever heard of this thing called fanservice?”

“Our show is clean and family friendly!” Lotte yelled.

“Sorry, you’re in the world of shōnen now! Giggity-giggity-otaku-giggity!”

“Huuuurrrrr!” Jasminka lifted the football with all her strength and kicked it as far as she could, which was only 20 feet. “Huff…huff… that football weighed 10 tons. You guys aren’t hurt, are you?”

Akko quickly got up, bending her back straight again. “Compared to Sheila’s punches, it was nothing!”

“Actually, it _does_ feel like nothing.” Diana replied, the others standing with little pain. “We were just beaten around and sent flying across the world completely unscathed. I wonder if anything on this world is real or it’s all in our heads.”

“That’s a very good question to ask, girls. And like any good question, it deserves to be sprinkled on quality sausage.” A masculine voice spoke. The Nine Witches looked up, seeing a muscular man with a golden afro sitting on a throne that looked like an armpit.

“Who are you?” asked Akko.

“My name is Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, the King of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobopolis, known as Bobopolis for short, of course I wanted to call it Sushirama, but the tax payers wouldn’t let me. You girls must have flown into my castle’s throat, but you traveled down the wrong pipe, so now you’re in my throne room located in the armpit. You should know that ignoring sensitive landscapes is a Code 31 offense, but I’ll overlook it seeing as you’re tourists.”

“So, you’re the king of this world?” Diana inquired as Hannah was taking pictures of all the giant purple hair strands with faces.

“Temporary king, actually. Y’see, even though the universes were restored, the IDA are havin’ trouble figuring out what goes where in MY world, since we forgot to design it with an auto-repair system. Luckily, Zach offered me sanctuary in the safety of his central lobe.”

“Well, we’re from the Avalaran Kids Next Door, and we’re here to collect information about this planet’s geography and economy.” Diana conjured a magic notepad and feather pen. “So, if you wouldn’t mind…”

“YOU BETCHOR FOLLICLES I WOULDN’T MIND!” Bo-bobo thundered, scaring them out of their skin. “Listen girls, if you come to this planet with a solid mind, you’re going home in an insane asylum! This world is without law, so you better obey the law and get CRAZY!”

“But if that’s true, then there shouldn’t be a king.” Sucy figured.

“WHAT?! Er, that is to say, I…”

“Hey! Did you hear that, Jojojo-jo Jo-jojo?!” Bo-bobo flinched, hearing a soft voice. Behind his throne were two giants; their legs were comparatively small, but they had massive bulging muscles.

“You bet I did, Popopo-po Po-popo!” replied the grey-haired giant with a hat and goatee. He was talking to a black-skinned, Arab-like man with pointy ears. “It’s finally time for the Muscle Monarch to begin!”

“Whoa, they’re even bigger than the giant sector!” Amanda exclaimed.

“That’s not what we agreed on!” Popo said. “We promised to begin the Genie Regime!”

“Screw yo’ meanie genies! Muscles are the way of the future, baby!”

“My muscles are far bigger than yours!”

“Oh yeah?! HRRRNNNN!” JoJo’s muscles puffed even bigger.

“Of course! HOOOOO!” Popo did the same.

“BIGGER!” JoJo’s increased further.

“MORE! HOOOO!” Popo made his larger. “Hmmmfff… ulp! Oh no!” He gasped for breath. “My… muscles are so large… I can’t… breathe! Uuuulp…” He fell dead.

“Foolish Popo! You gave your muscles so much helium, it made your lungs as flimsy as balloons. Thankfully, my lungs are reinforced with Sticky Tape.”

“Astounding indeed.” Hannah said, taking pictures of the sight.

“Huh?!” JoJo saw the camera flash and looked over. “IS THAT A 40,000 YEN CAMERA?!”

“Uhh… It was 10,000 gems.”

“OH NOOOO!” Bo-bobo screamed. “He LOVES to smash expensive cameras! RUN FOR IT!”

“AAAAAHHH!” Hannah ran for her life, clasping the camera in both hands. “DIANA, HELP ME!”

“Leave her alone!” Diana shouted. “Confringo Incendio!” She tried to cast an explosive flame spell, but all that came out was a spinning baseball head. “Huh?!”

“Diana, don’t you see?!” Akko asked. “This world is probably filled with powerful Psychic Chi, which means we have to use our imaginations! I summon a golden chariot with white Pegasi!” Instead, what she got was a body pillow of Service Man. “Uh… or not.”

“NOOOO!” JoJo had grabbed Hannah by the camera and was squeezing it. “PLEASE, NOT MY CAMERA! Do you know how rare this model is?!”

“Grrr… I see.” Diana said. “I guess I don’t have a choice. CANDY BATHTUB SPELL!” She whooshed her wand, firing a bathtub filled with M&M’s.

“AAAAHH!” The tub engulfed JoJo, who dropped Hannah. “No, please! I’m allergic to the orange ones! OH NOOOOO!”

 _POP!_ JoJo exploded into fireworks, which shaped like Spongebob characters. Everyone faced Diana with mouths agape, Hannah and Barb especially. Her cheeks were red on her flawless face. “Uh… did that actually work?”

“Diana, that spell was one of Bo-bobo’s attacks in the manga.” Lotte said. “Did you just come up with it yourself, or…?”

“Ooo, is Diana a young mangaka?” Akko asked with a cheeky grin.

“Hmmmff…” Diana shut her eyes, still blushing. “Sigh, when I was a little girl, I… saw the book in the library. It looked so atrocious and juvenile, even to me, so I read it out of sheer curiosity.”

“And how much of it did you read?”

“Mmmmhh… Ten volumes.”

“YA HA HA!” Akko fell on her back, clutching her stomach in laughter. “Diana, you’re such a NERD!”

“Please, I’m not as obsessive as SOME people! I merely read or watch things for the sake of review.”

“What’s that?!” asked an armpit hair tree. “Someone’s going to review us?!”

“Oh, no! I haven’t cleaned my house since Cousins Day!”

“We gotta do something, Arm Hairs! Quick, get your Play-Doh!” They blew Play-Doh out of their noses, and they took the forms of various humans, like Johnny Depp, Queen Elizabeth, and that Kiss guy everybody hates. They all began to charge at the sector with golf clubs.

“Girls, let’s get out of here!” Diana yelled, mounting her broom with Akko at her back. The witches flew away from the throne room, with the Play-Doh Men giving chase on flying turtle shells.

“Diana, if nothing can hurt us on this world, why do we bother running?!” Akko asked.

“We can’t take the risk. Girls, move to the side for a bit, I’ll dispose of them.” The teammates obeyed, leaving nothing to obstruct their leader from the Play-Doh Men. “Super Fist of Luna Nova: Professor Badcock’s Wrinkle Cream!” Badcock’s head peeped out the brush of her broom, spewing a stream of cream from her nose. That stream became a wave, which the Play-Doh Men began to surf, soaring far away from the witches.

“YAHOOOO! You got ’em, Diana!”

“We do not speak of this to the professors.”

“I dunno if I wanna keep my lips sealed on this one.” Amanda smirked.

“I dunno if I wanna stay on this planet any longer.” Barbara replied. “Don’t you think we’ve collected enough info?”

“But we’ve barely even scratched the surface.” Akko said. “It isn’t that bad so far, we can handle it. Look, why don’t we go check out that forest?” She pointed to a forest of pompadours.

“I’m afraid we can’t go there.” Diana replied.

“Why not?”

Diana turned to her with a steak on her forehead. “They don’t accept Steakheads.”

“DWAAAAH!” Akko fell off the broom in absolute shock.

“Get a grip on yourself, Try Hard.” Amanda grabbed her by the ankle. “Actually, it looks like I should tell Diana that. ’Guess there’s a first for everything.”

“The People of Pompadouria have assaulted us Steakheads for too long!” Diana shouted, whirling a maelstrom of magic around. “I’ll get my revenge with old-fashioned cheese graters!” A storm of cheese graters rained down onto the pompadours.

“ACK!” one of them screamed, the pompadours growing faces. “The cheese graters are still mad at us for taking their mouse pads! PROTECT US, JOSUKE!”

Gigantic patties fell from the heavens and crushed the graters against an even bigger pompadour, the top of which looked like a grill. The witches gaped when the massive head of its owner rose from the earth. “We Pompadours just want to live in peace. But if this is the path you choose, so be it. DORARARARARA!” The patties began rapidly flipping and flattening the graters underneath, completely restructuring them into a pencil sharpener, cement churner, a Walgreens, and other things.

“Hmmm…” A second face emerged from the giant’s hair, one with big eyelashes beautiful pink eyes, and soft, tender lips.

 _“EYAAAAAAHHH!”_ Needless to say it freaked the girls out.

_“Who are you girls? Are you from the Hair Kingdom or Stand Kingdom?”_

“W-W-W-We’re from Avalar.” Lotte stuttered.

 _“Hmmm…”_ The face seemed to study them. _“Yes… you girls seem to qualify. Please, grab onto my eyelashes.”_ Its gorgeous eyelashes grew like beanstalks.

“Waaaaahhhh!” the witches screamed as they were rising into the heavens. “What’s that?!” Akko asked, seeing what they were rising toward. “A giant _Little Mermaid 2_ case?!”

“Never mind that!” Hannah shouted. “Why are OURS covered in BARB WIRE?!” Indeed, she and Barbara were bleeding from their prickly lashes. “And PLEASE don’t say it’s because her name is Barbara!”

“Brace yourselves!” Amanda yelled. “We’re about to enter! WHOOOAA!” They burst through the movie case, and Ariel’s face came off to reveal Donkey Kong’s face.

The girls moaned as they recovered, finding their selves in a wooden, Japanese-style house. “Finally, someplace normal.” Diana said. “But for how long?”

“Hello, ladies.” A boy with massive muscles and a purple uniform towered behind them, his head and pompadour the same as the one outside.

_“AAAAAAAHHHHH!”_

“So… you must be the ones who destroyed my father, Jo-jojo just now.” He spoke with a vengeful glare.

“What?! I’m terribly sorry!” Diana panicked. “I didn’t mean to destroy him, I was only trying to help my friend!”

“Hm hm, it’s okay.” The boy smiled. “It’s impossible to die on this planet.” He calmly pulled his nose off, leaking a bunch of air and shrinking out of his clothes. He was now as skinny as a stick, save for his head and hands. “I’m Josuke.”

“YOU LEAKED TOO MUCH AIR!” they screamed.

“I have to keep a level of insanity to survive on this planet.” Josuke went to get a spare uniform, fit for his smaller size. “You can rest your minds. This place is a sanctuary of sorts. The only way to enter this place is to present something extremely rare. Such as a Speed Limit sign that doesn’t end in ‘0’ or ‘5’, an anime with no fanservice, or a shōnen series with more female protagonists than boys. Because the Gameverse has been considered a shōnen universe, you girls fit the bill.”

“Not the fanservice?” Lotte cocked a brow.

“Foot close-ups, Yuri pairings,” Josuke skimmed a list, “Giant/Tiny scenes, Jasminka inflated herself-”

“Never mind.”

“As for me, I’m probably the most sane person on this planet. And meeting people from the outside is very pleasant. You see, sane people are practically magnets to the denizens of this world.” As he spoke, Hannah was trying to peel Diana’s steak off her face. “And our sanity tastes like candy.” Hannah succeeded, exposing a stoic frowny face bulging on Diana’s forehead.

Jasminka was licking an ice cream brain. “Sanity tastes good!”

“While it’s not possible to die, people will go insane when exposed to this world for too long. So insane that they won’t be able to leave. And even if they could leave… I wonder for how long? This world is secluded from the Law that defines the rest of the universe. Nothing here is permanent and anything can happen. But outside this world, while Bo-bobo Kempo is used as an effective fighting style, anything caused by it can be erased.”

“Well, that’s not technically true.” Akko said. “I mean, this world exists, doesn’t it? Bobopolis was created by Bo-bobo Kempo.”

“Hmm… true.” Josuke viewed the sky beyond the window. “In fact, I always wondered… is it possible for me to survive beyond the atmosphere? Or would I disappear in the ocean that is Law?”

“Why don’t we find out?” Akko asked, grinning.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Well, we have a ship! We’ll take you onboard and get you off this crazy planet!”

“Th-That’s crazy! Everyone that has tried to leave this planet has failed, by one random thing or another!”

“Well, our policy is to keep trying, no matter how impossible it seems! After all, this planet is built around crazy, right? Well, if we’re crazy enough to try and escape, then we’ll succeed! Who’s with me, team?!”

“Well, our duty as operatives compels us to help those in need.” Diana said, her forehead face still present. “Very well. I think we’ve collected enough info on this world to be of service, and we could always ask Josuke for more.”

“Great!” cheered Akko. “Then let’s rush back to the Stanship! It was next to a giant plum with a troll face, if I recall.”

“Hmm…” Josuke smiled. “Around you girls, I actually feel hopeful… wait, TROLL FACE PLUM?! OH NOOO!”

“Oh, boy…” Amanda sighed.

“Every day at noon, the Qwark Comet crushes that plum under its left butt cheek! In just a few minutes, your ship will be flattened!!”

_“HUUUUH?!?”_

_“Let me tell you how it all went down. I was hired to save this little town.”_ A gigantic model of Captain Qwark was slowly descending from a hole in the clouds, the left of its rear bottom directly positioned over the Stanship. _“Theeeey were trying to sink the city; I jumped in to save the daaaay! I swam right under it… and plugged the leak… with just my left – butt – cheek.”_

“Then our mini vacation is over!” Akko decided. “Jasminka: CARRY US TO FREEDOM!”

The 10 BURST out of the sanctuary; Jasminka’s arms had become feathers, carrying all of her friends plus Josuke by the shirts in her teeth. “Constanze, can you use the Auto Accio to summon the Stanship?!”

“Mm-mm.” She shook her head, pointing down at the ground. A bunch of fish with big smiles were hopping all around the surface.

“Damn. We need an open space to use the Auto Accio.” Amanda said.

“The Troll Plum is that way.” Josuke pointed. “Whatever you do, don’t get hit by the—” They crashed face-first into a pair of crescent moon spectacles. “Dumbledore Glasses…”

The glasses turned into sunshades as Dumbledore’s face appeared, albeit with a bigger mouth and few teeth, which were golden. “YA-HEY, wassa happen’, wicka witchas? Y’all reddy to flick them wicka wands?”

“Darn it!” Akko shouted. “Why is he a different actor in every movie?!”

“HEY, DUMBLEDUMB!” Amanda shouted with sunshades and an equally big mouth. “So ya like them golden teeth, do ya?! I bet they hain’t no good against this: the Super Fist of the Rebel, TEEN BEACH KICKAPOW!” She kicked one foot up at Dumbledore’s teeth, and it divided into a bunch of legs, which soon became the actors of _Teen Beach Movie_ , bending the head’s upper half back until he shriveled up like Pac-Man.

“Hurry, girls!” Josuke shouted, seeing the Qwark Comet in the distance. “It’s going to crash any second!”

“Not on my watch!” Lotte declared, whipping out her _Night Fall_ volume. “Super Fist of the Fangirl, Arthur’s Rocket of ROMANCE!” She ripped the book open, letting loose a rocket that depicted the nude forms of Arthur and Bella. The rocket flew directly for the comet, but Qwark’s eyes glanced down to see it. His teeth opened, firing a giant Snoopy head that barked, _“RUFF WOFF woof”_ and completely tore through the spacecraft. “AAAAAHHH!” The girls screamed as their fates were sealed.

But just as the explosion cleared away, the group realized they had been turned into mushrooms. “Huh? Sucy, I assume this is YOUR attack.” Akko figured.

“I needed something comfy to rest on.” They felt her giant weight lie down on them.

“Is this really the time for a nap-” Akko looked up at herself. “WAIT, WHY DID YOU TURN INTO **ME**?!”

“There is nothing faster than the flow of time when Akko sleeps during library duty.” Sucy replied in Akko’s form and pajamas. “Nighty-night.” She fell asleep with her legs arched up.

“WAAAAAHHHH!” The mushrooms flew like the speed of light. “We’re about to crash into it!” Akko shouted. “Somebody do something!”

“Now it’s OUR turn!” The Hannah-Barbara shrooms chorused. “Super Fist of Pureblood, DIANA’S GOLDEN GLORY!” They erected a great golden statue of Diana.

It crashed headfirst against Qwark’s bottom, but the slow-moving comet seemed less than impressed. “…Really? Is that the best you got?”

The two former bullies exchanged worried glances. “But… Diana’s the best at everything.”

Qwark rolled his eyes as a fighter plane flew out of his nose, shooting holes all over the statue before it exploded. The girls screamed again as they were blown away. “Actually, that gold is just what I needed!” said Diana. “When I absorb its reflective light into my eyes,” her eyes glimmered, “I can create THIS: the Dwayne Johnson Spring Pad!” In a flash, Dwayne Johnson appeared behind them, and the second they hit his rock-hard abs, they sprung back toward the comet at terrific speed. “It’s up to you now, Akko!”

“Right! Super Fist of the Shiny Rod!” Akko drew her bow and pulled back an arrow.

“Ooooo, pretty bow.” Qwark said tauntingly. “What’s that supposed to do to-”

“Shinyyyyy VOLCANO!” Instead of an arrow, Akko loosed an entire volcano.

“WAAAAAH!” Qwark’s eyes popped out as the mountain hit him dead on, the comet flying across the horizon.

“I don’t believe it!” Josuke exclaimed. “You actually stopped the Qwark Comet?!”

“BELIEVE IT, Joruto! Constanze, fire this baby up and get us off this rock!”

The ten boarded the Stanship as Constanze began to activate the engines. She then pointed skyward, signaling Amanda to pull up the broom and take off. “Alright! We’re about to escape!” Akko exclaimed. “Soon, our names will be in the headlines as the first kids to set foot on—THE ATMOSPHERE!!” The charming face of the Bobopolan Atmosphere loomed in their wake.

_“Hello, children. My apologies, but I cannot allow you to leave the ozone. It is my turn to pay the air bill this month, and I wish to savor it as much as possible.”_

“Grrrrr!” Constanze glared with spite and pressed a button, firing a chainsaw cannon. Unfortunately, it had no effect.

_“Ha ha ha! Very funny, children. Your ozone is much stronger than you think.”_

Constanze grit her teeth and turned the engines up to full force. “WHOA!” Amanda yelped. “Alright, Constanze, you want me to ram this sucker, I’LL RAM HIM!”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Constanze!” Akko yelled, forced back against her seat.

 _“WAAAAAAAHHH!”_ The ship crashed dead against the atmosphere, exploding into millions of pieces.

 _“Alas, my children… you will breathe the tickly scent of Bobopolis’s air forevermore. …Huh?”_ The atmosphere spotted a tiny Stanbot.

_“Master Constanze says, ‘Super Fist of the Creator: God’s Constructive Hands.’”_

_“Oh?”_ A godly pair of gloved hands appeared over the atmosphere. _“AAAAAAHHH!”_ They began to set to work on the ozone. _“No, please! Not that! Anything but that! EEAAAAAHHH!”_ Constanze had reformed the ozone into a trapezoidal shape. _“No no NOOOO! I can’t relive the days of the trapezoid! I don’t know how to measure its area! IT MADE ME FAIL 4TH GRADE! NOOOOOOOOOOO!”_

And so, the Stanbot was able to escape from his gaping mouth. They flew miles away from Bobopolis, observing the planet from a much safer view. “I…I don’t believe it.” Josuke said, gazing down at his planet for the first time in his life. “I’m the first Bobopolan… to ever escape from my world.”

“It turns out, no amount of insanity is a match for the friendship of the Nine New Witches!” Akko declared.

“Yes… you’re right.” Josuke closed his eyes. “You know, I think I would like to go back.”

 _“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”_ they all outbursted. “After all that drama, you’re suddenly homesick?!” Amanda finished.

“You girls are Kids Next Door. Your job is to bring hope to kids and adults everywhere.” He spoke with shining passion in his eyes. “I wonder… if there are other people like me in that world? People who struggle to maintain their sanity in the midst of chaos? I think… I would like to find those people. And we’ll start the Bobopolan Kids Next Door.”

The witches didn’t know how to respond. They were only so awestruck by his decision. Not only would they be credited for exploring that world… but they may have caused the creation of a brand new Kids Next Door branch. “But I don’t have to head back now, I suppose.” Josuke smiled. “Perhaps I’ll explore a new planet first. Ah, like that one!” He pointed at Amazonia.

“Uh, hate to break it to you, but men aren’t allowed on that planet.” Lotte said sheepishly.

“Oh, that’s okay. Gender-swapping is a basic power for us Bobopolans.” So with that, he pulled off just a single strand of pompadour hair, causing it to drop behind his neck and for his very build to change. “Okay: let’s go meet the ladies.” He spoke in a feminine voice.

The Nine Witches went absolutely pale, jaws discarded on the floor. “Oh, great.” Deadpool said, reading this story. “Another chick flick.”

**Luna Nova, the next day**

“EXTRA, EXTRA! Read all about it!” Wangari, Luna Nova’s dark-skinned reporter was throwing newspapers everywhere, kicking her bare legs high with each step. “A planet that billions have feared to set foot on was explored by our very own team of operatives!” The front page showed a picture of Sector LN with the female Josuke, Bobopolis in the background. “Why does Diana have steak on her forehead?! Was Jasminka ALWAYS part-bird?! These are the questions that will keep us up at night! The whole universe will be talking about it!”

Inside their base, Diana was smiling at the newspaper, while Akko was busy scrubbing the floors. “Well, Diana, if that isn’t inspiration, I’m not sure what is.”

“Mmm… part of me feels I don’t deserve this victory. It felt… too simple. More simple than baking my first potion.”

“Of course it was simple. You had the eight best witches of Luna Nova to help you! No way you would’ve survived that planet all by yourself!”

“The problem is, she just ain’t used to sharing the spotlight.” Amanda remarked, leaning against the wall with arms behind her head.

“Well, to be fair, I did more than you did.” Diana retorted.

“Man, you just can’t go one day without insulting me.”

“Ah, cut Diana some slack, Amanda. That forehead face hasn’t left her since yesterday.” Akko said.

“WHAT?!” Diana immediately grabbed a mirror. “WHY HASN’T ANYONE SAID ANY…?” Her forehead was as clear and beautiful as it has always been. “Grrrrr… THAT’S IT, you’re cleaning the Stanship, too!”

“But it was just a joooooke!” Akko cried while the others giggled.

“Don’t make me repeat myself!”

Akko poofed and changed into a mouse with big eyes. “Pwease have mercy on me, Diana. Squeak, squeak.”

“Ugh… I swear, Atsuko, sometimes I feel like you ARE from Bobopolis.”

 

**But she ain’t, don’t worry. X) So, we got crossovers from _Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo_ , with some _Jojojo-jo Jo-jojo_ , and _Dragon Ball_ ’s Popopo-po—you know what, figure the rest out yourself. :P And to see Girl Josuke’s adventures on Amazonia, you can buy my 800-page mini comic. Otherwise, stay tuned for a less confusing adventure when the Nine Witches return!**


	3. She Tried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nine Witches are sent to Disney Town on a mission! It takes a surprising turn when Akko accidentally crushes King Mickey Mouse.

**You know what else I love about Akko? She’s good at pissing people off. ;D Get ready, because we’re about to meet an important person in this chapter. You can tell by the rather simplistic and symbolic chapter title.**

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Chapter 3: She Tried

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**Sector LN**

_“Well, girls, first of all, I would like to congratulate you once again on your valiant expedition to Bobopolis.”_ The Nine Witches were gathered before the main terminal as their Supreme Leader spoke to them. He was Numbuh 1,000 C, a gargoyle named Griffin Firecrystal. _“It certainly makes up for the humiliation you endured against Sector V. (Not that I’m too upset about that!)”_ he whispered. _“(It’s about time someone told them what’s what! That Chris kid stole, like, half my kills during the Viridi War!)”_

“Is there anything else you wanted to speak to us about?” Diana asked.

_“Yes, yes, ahem… Seeing as you’ve been on a good streak lately, I wanted to give you a new mission. One of our spies reported that Gruntilda was going to visit the capital of Disney Land later today. We don’t know why or what she’ll be doing, so I would like you girls to visit Disney Town and attempt to find out. As you may well know, Disney Town is considered a paradise for kidkind, so as Kids Next Door, it falls to us to protect such a paradise from anything Grunty might try to do. If she’s up to anything criminal, do what you can to stop her, but don’t do anything reckless.”_

“Understood, Numbuh 1,000 C.” Diana replied. “We’ll do our best.” She ended transmission. “Sigh… okay, I know he just told us to go to Disney Land, but may I remind you girls we are on official business-” The minute she turned to them, all her teammates were dressed like Disney characters. “Can you at least wear your casual clothes, you look ridiculous!”

Barbara was wearing a Nick Wilde mask, but she frowned and took it off.

**Disney Town**

Disney Land was a country that spanned over numerous smaller kingdoms, ones that had existed for centuries, from Corona, the Dwarf Woodlands, Atlantica, and many more, and those kingdoms had not seen a day of war ever since. In the center of it all was Disney Town, one of the largest amusement parks in the known universe.

“OH BOOOOYYYY!” Atsuko screamed, her face shining as she danced on the central street. “We’re actually in Disney Land! This is such a nice break after all that insanity yesterday!”

“Keep your voice down, Akko.” Diana told her. “If Grunty or her cronies are here, she’ll be trying to stay out of sight from operatives. We may not have been famous for long, but we can’t take the chance. Split up and try to blend in with the crowds, and if any of you see Grunty, call us.”

“You heard her, girls, search each and every one of these rides until we find her!” With that, Akko ran off with Lotte.

“Sigh… Hannah, Barbara, you’re with me.”

Sucy and Constanze went to visit the River of Love. The guard gave them a weird look before Sucy confirmed, “We’re lesbians.” The guard shrugged and let them on.

The boat ahead had an older couple about 18 years old, staring romantically as cupid fairies were dancing in a garden of hearts. Laser gunshots fired and blew the fairies’ heads off. “AAAAHH!” the couple screamed and fainted.

Constanze lowered her smoking gun. “I could’ve sworn those things were venom-oozing monsters.” Sucy said.

“Hmph.” replied Constanze.

Team Diana had gone to watch an outdoor play, which was being performed by child actors who paid to go up. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let down your hair!”

“This story never gets old!” Barbara said, hands folded.

“Just look at that hair! So pretty!” Hannah snapped a picture of the hair-climbing scene.

“Huh?!” The flash caused the Rapunzel actress’s eyes to shrink. “WAA-AA-AAAAH!” She ended up falling and burying them both in hair.

“CHELSEA!” screamed the mother.

“Time to go, girls…” Diana said in embarrassment, quickly rushing them out. The sign read, _Warning: Actress has sensitive eyes._

Amanda had purchased a bunch of corndogs that were tied to one stick, using her flaming hair to roast them. “Here, Jasminka! Search for Gruntilda inside these!”

“Okay, Amanda.” The chubby witch began to munch them down to nothing. “Nope, don’t see her, yet.”

“Okay, then I’ll buy more.”

 _“Iiiit’s a tiny uuuuniverse. Iiiit’s a tiny uuuuniverse!”_ This was the song that rang throughout the Tour of the Universe attraction, being sung by kids of various races, who were in circles and holding hands. The center ring consisted of giants, the middle ring had normal sized humans, merkids, cheetah, and ogres, while the outer ring had tiny Minish, Kateenians, fairies, and Lilliputians. Families were happily exploring the museum of holographic stars and planets. And beyond all those stars were the godly gazing eyes of Akko and Lotte.

“Whoooaa. So tiny.” Akko said in awe, her pupil hovering over every corner of the mini attraction. “But I don’t see Gruntilda in there.”

“Akko, don’t touch it like that!”

“HEY, you girls can’t be in here!” shouted the goblin guard.

“AAAH!” Akko and Lotte bolted, escaping from the dark-blue tent which contained the tiny attraction, panting after they got far enough. “You know, if Disney wanted to save space, can’t they just cast a Pocket Space charm on a building? No need to shrink tourists down.” Lotte said.

“Uwaaaaahh!” Akko gaped in excitement. “Look, Lotte! Brooms for Beginners!” She pointed at the entrance to a tower, the top of which had a diving platform where children were taking off on broomsticks. “With automated brooms!”

“Akko, those are only for children.”

“No they’re not! They’re also for people who need special help. If I practice on one of their brooms, I’ll get better at riding a real broom! Come on!” And she was quick to rush up there.

“But Akko, people will look at us weirdly… hmmmm.” Sadly, Lotte had no choice but to follow her friend.

After about an hour of riding roller coasters and swinging pirate ships, the team decided to regroup in Town Square. “Any sign of Gruntilda?” Diana asked.

“Not really.” Amanda answered, Jasminka eating a yellow cotton candy cloud. “I’m starting to think this was a trick to get us to go on vacation.”

“It’s a bit too early for Winter Break. And it seems Akko and Lotte are still searching. Hopefully, they didn’t run into trouble.”

_“ATTENTION, girls of Disney Town! Please report to the Castle Grounds for a special announcement from His Majesty!”_

_“YAAAAAAAYYYY!”_ The park erupted with high screams as girls from all races stormed toward the castle, the Cheetahs making swift progress due to their speed, while the earth quaked under the footsteps of giants and ogres.

“This seems important.” Diana observed. “Come, girls, we’d best attend.”

Soon, nearly all the girls in town had gathered before the castle gates, taking fair-sized seats within the stands. Sector LN occupied the middle area, but their remaining two members were still unaccounted for. A humanoid black dog with a long face spoke into the microphone, “A-hyup-hyup! Okay, girls, put your hands together for the mouse you all came to see! The one, the only, the King of Disney Land!” Smoke erupted from the stage as a short figure with round ears was seen.

 _“Who’s the leader of the Club that’s made for you and me? M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! MICKEY MOOOUSE! MICKEY MOOOUSE!”_ The mouse king blew kisses to his adoring fans; or rather, he blew hearts made of light, striking girls in the cheek as they screamed in utmost joy.

“I can’t believe I used to idolize that guy.” Amanda remarked, her feet propped up on the seat in front of her.

“The owner of 105 major corporations across the universe.” Diana said with the slightest admiration. “And an estimated 80 billion employees. Which doesn’t even include all the soldiers in the kingdoms he owns.”

“To think there could ever be such a man who has it all.” Hannah followed.

“Hoho! Thank you, ladies, thank you!” King Mickey began to his fans, settling them down. “I have an important announcement to make: tomorrow, we’re releasing our newest product: real live Olafs created from actual enchanted snow!” His royal mage, Donald Duck, waved his staff and summoned the little snowman from a magic puff.

“Hi, everyone! I like warm hugs!”

 _“TEHEHEHEHEHE!”_ All their combined laughter was like an earsplitting ring.

“However, first we need to create the commercial, advertising our marvelous new product. And guess what: we’ve picked YOU as our lead actresses!”

 _“YAAAAAAAYYY!”_ Sector LN braced their selves for the ensuing earthquake.

“BUT… I’m afraid we can only take one of you.”

_“NOOOOOOOOO!”_

“And so, we will have a draw!” They all looked up when candy bars magically appeared over the stands. “You might wanna look down.” Below each of them was a magic screen, displaying all the bars. “One of these chocolate bars is filled with Gold Syrup. Whichever lucky lady finds this syrup will have the honor of starring in the commercial-hoho. But you can only pick one, so choose wisely, and choose fast, or else it’ll be taken. You have only one minute to choose your chocolate.”

The countdown began, and all the girls skimmed each and every candybar looming over them, searching carefully for any subtle differences. “Hmmmm…” Jasminka was the most determined to find this Golden Syrup. “Sniff…sniff…sniff…” _Oh! It’s that one! I better get ready…_

“Hey, check it out, Lotte!” Akko yelled, the two soaring over the stands on their broomsticks as the beginner gazed down intently. “I can see our friends! They look so small, I almost missed them. WHOA!” The broom whipped around and headed back. “Hang on, Broom, I wanna see what’s up!”

“Akko, these brooms aren’t allowed to fly this close to the castle.” Lotte told her.

“Five…four…three…two…one… CHOOSE!”

Everyone’s fingers slammed down on their designated chocolate, and Jasminka got the one she wanted. With that, all the candybars flew down to their people. “Alright, everyone: eat up.”

There was enormous tension in this brief second, when all the girls chomped their candybars in half. Each of them looked at the rift afterwards, praying for results. …Jasminka gasped, seeing the golden ooze inside her bar. “I DID IIIIIT!” She stood and waved her bar proudly. The audience shared moans of disappointment.

As Jasminka stood basking in her victory, King Mickey gazed at her in worry. _My, she’s a big one, isn’t she…_

“Hey, I think Jasminka’s won something!” Akko observed, still fighting with her broom. “Grrr, stupid broom. I just—wanna—see—huh?” She got upside-down. “WAAAAAHHH!”

“AKKO!” Lotte screamed as her friend took the plummet.

“Huh? What’s that?” Diana asked, looking up.

“AAA-AAAH!” Hearing this, King Mickey looked up. “OOF!” And he was SMASHED under the strange weight. The audience burst into gasps.

“Ow… my head…” Akko groggily stood up. “Hm?” She stared confusedly at all the hundreds of people gazing wide-eyed at her. Diana’s face had gone pale, her teammates giving equal expressions at Akko’s biggest blunder ever. “Uhhh…” Akko looked down at what she landed on. “WAAAAAAHH!” It was King Mickey himself, his visage a daze. “K-K-King Mickey Mouse! I’m sorry!”

“Move aside!” Donald Duck demanded, pushing her off and casting a healing spell on his king.

“Oh, gosh…hoho.” Mickey said, waking up dizzily. “Good gracious, I thought we outlawed anvils.”

“N-No, Your Majesty… it was me.” Akko spoke sheepishly. “I was flying, and I fell off by mistake.”

“Ah…” Mickey observed the sheepish young witch, finding her demeanor and expression adorable. He smiled and replied, “Well, that’s okay! Stuff falls on my head all the time-hoho! What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“It’s… Akko. Atsuko Kagari.”

“Ahh…” Mickey turned to his fans and said, “Everyone, meet my new friend: Atsuko Kagari!”

 _“YAAAAAAAY!”_ Their feelings went from horror and worry to pure praise.

“Laaaa la la la, laaaa…” Sector LN looked up as Lotte was slowly descending beside them, humming a song so that the Wind Spirits would ensure her safe landing. “We didn’t ruin anything, did we?”

“I’m… not sure…” Diana replied.

“Akko! Akkooooo!” Said girl looked as Jasminka waddled up on stage, holding her half-bitten bar. “Akko, I won the contest! I get to be in Disney’s new commercial!”

“Really?! Well, congrats, Jasminka! I’m so proud of you! Hey, Your Majesty, Jasminka is a friend of mine! If she’s gonna be in a commercial, do you think we could watch the recording? Our other friends?”

“Uhhh…” Mickey looked between the two girls. He couldn’t help but notice how slimmer and more energetic Akko seemed than the actual winner. “Well, of course! In fact, I’ll do you one better, Akko: since ya know how to make an entrance, YOU can be in the commercial, TOO-hoho!”

 _“WHAAAAAAAT?!”_ The audience was enraged by this change of rule.

“Aw, shucks, don’t worry, girls! We’ll have this contest again for our next commercial, and another two of you may see your dreams come true!”

_“YAAAAAAAAYYYY!”_

**Disney Studios**

“YAAAAAAY!” Akko cheered, showing off her new dress, which represented Anna from _Frozen_. “I can’t believe we’re actually working for Disney! I mean, me and Jasminka are, but it’s like you guys are a part of it, too!”

“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WE WERE ON A MISSION?!” Diana thundered with fire in her eyes. “Because of your reckless stunt, our cover could have been BLOWN! Grunty could have seen us from ten miles away and turned tail right then and there!”

“Come on, that mission wasn’t going anywhere.” Akko brushed her hand. “Oh! Speaking of going nowhere, where’s Barbara?”

“Well, _one_ of us had to act like we were doing something, so I sent Barbara into town to continue the search.”

“Yeah, no way the rest of us are missing this!” Amanda smirked. “You look pretty cute, Jasminka.”

“Thank you, Amanda.” Jasminka blushed, shifting in her sparkly blue Elsa gown. “For once, I feel like a real princess, huhu.”

“Places, everyone!” Queen Minnie Mouse ordered. “King Mickey wants to wrap this up before his meeting! Hurry up, hop to it!”

“Wish us luck, guys!” Akko said, going to join Jasminka.

“We’re gonna be stars!” the Russian witch proclaimed with a pudgy smile.

**Town Square**

“Hooooh. I can’t believe I don’t get to see the recording.” Barbara sighed in sadness, her eyes closed. “Well, whatever. Who wants to see Kagari be in a commercial, anyway?” She shrugged. “Let alone Jasminka. Diana shoulda won that contest, and it should just be me and her, while Hannah records us in all our glory—uek!” She bumped into someone. “Oops, I—YAAAH?!” She jumped back in fright, seeing it was a fat, man-sized bee.

Barbara recognized him as Capital B, and behind him was his boss: “What are you doing, little girl?!” Gruntilda asked. “Out of my way or you’ll go for a whirl!”

“S-Sorry!” Barbara stepped aside, her heart racing. “I’m very sorry, Ma’am! Really…”

“Ehhhn.” Capital B grunted as they resumed, with Barbara about-facing to go her own way. “What a disrespectful brat.”

“And quite senseless, at that.” Grunty faced her skull forward, using a cane to walk and keep up with her assistant.

Once they were far enough, Barbara glanced back at them, a sweatdrop trickling down her face. “Oh, God, did I just screw up the mission? It doesn’t seem like they’re suspicious. I have to get in closer. Metamorphie Faciesse!” Barbara cast her wand and transformed into a little black mouse, scampering after the two through a forest of legs. “Huff, huff, how does Kagari do this?” she panted. “These legs are so tiny. Squeak, squeak, squeak.”

She managed to catch up to the overweight presidents, taking cover under Gruntilda’s dress and between her feet. “Well, speak, Capital B: was she part of the KND?”

“I have a list of all the Avalaran operatives that were in Field Day.” B replied, flipping through a clipboard. “I can’t find her picture, so I’m not sure if she was one.”

 _Me and Hannah didn’t play in Field Day. I guess that was a good decision._ Barbara thought.

“Perhaps it was just a simple tourist. Their idle behavior makes me pissed. At what o’clock shall we meet Mickey? The sight of this town makes me sickly.”

_They’re here to meet King Mickey?_

“We’ll meet him at 2:00, at least 56 minutes from now. He said he would be recording a commercial around this time.”

“Great, good, that I can last. I need his Vibranium, and fast.”

 _Vibranium? That’s a rare substance… I wouldn’t be surprised if Mickey had some, but why would he give it to—_ “SQUEEEAAAK!” Barbara was stepped on in a misdirected step.

“Eh?” Grunty stepped off and looked down at the near-flattened mouse. “A little vermin, this town is a mess! Get out of here, you little pest!” She swung her cane and sent the mouse flying.

“Squeeeaaak!” She landed in a trashcan and changed back to normal. She peeped her banana-covered head out, seeing the two resume their walk. “Ugh… This mission really stinks.”

**Disney Studios**

“Olaf Commercial, Take One: action!” Queen Minnie ordered.

“For the FIRST time in foreveeeerrr!” Akko and Jasminka danced in parallel fashion; Akko on the left and Jasminka on the right. “You can take Olaf home—WAH!” Akko tripped and fell on her bottom.

“You okay, Akko?” Jasminka asked, helping her up.

“CUT!” Minnie shouted. “Don’t worry, mistakes happen. Let’s try again, people.”

“Yeah… let’s try again.” Akko said with a confident smile.

“For the FIRST time in foreveeeerrr! You can take O—laaah!” Jasminka fell this time.

“Akko, keep dancing!” Minnie ordered. “We’ll just fix it in editing. Where you left off, come on.”

“O-Okay. Olaf home with yoooouuu!”

“No, no good, you hesitated a little. Let’s try again.”

Hannah was recording the performance as the other six witches watched. “I’m kind of jealous that I couldn’t be in it.” Lotte said. “I think I have a pretty good voice. But I’m happy for Jasminka; she doesn’t really get much action, you know?”

“Alright, new plan.” Minnie decided impatiently. “We’ll try recording them one at a time. Akko first, then Jasmine, we’ll fix it in editing.”

“It’s Jasminka, Your Highness.”

“Yes, yes, just wait over there for now.”

“Okay. I’m getting hungry, anyway.” Jasminka went to the concession stand, getting some chips and salsa.

“No, your dress will get messy!” Minnie yelled.

“I’m sorry, but I have to eat, or else my stomach hurts. Hey, do you have any cake?”

“Wouldn’t you rather have some carrots?”

“No thanks. Cake is actually more healthy for me. It’s hard to explain, but-”

“Fine, fine, eat whatever you want. Let’s just finish this. Akko, Take 7!”

“Um, ahem… For the FIRST time in foreveeeerrr…!”

After a few more takes on Akko’s part, they recorded Jasminka doing the dance. To everyone’s surprise, Jasminka only had to do one take before Minnie declared, “And cut! Perfect! Nice dancing, Jasminka!”

“Um, are you sure?” she asked, catching her breath. “I couldn’t jump or kick my legs up as high.”

“Yeah, totally.” Hannah agreed. “Compared to Akko’s, her dance was atrocious.”

“Relax, it was perfectly fine.” Minnie assured. “Good job, girls, you really gave it your all this time! Unfortunately, King Mickey has asked us to do it again.”

“What?” asked Akko.

“This time, we need you girls to switch positions and dresses. It’s how we do things with our movies; we like to see if our actors look better on one side or the other side.”

“Well, I don’t know how showbiz works, so if you say so. Let’s switch clothes, Jasminka.”

“Oh, and someone clean those salsa stains off.”

“Huh?” Jasminka looked confused. “Why didn’t you clean them before I did my part?”

“We’ll fix it in editing.”

Sector LN sat through another recording session where Akko had to make the same maneuvers, except in the inverse. She stumbled a few more times and had to keep repeating, whereas Jasminka gave another sloppy performance, yet her first take was considered terrific. Once it was all done, King Mickey came up to greet them. “Great job, girls-hoho! You were both beautiful! It looks like we’ll be adding new stars to our sky-hoho!”

“We’re so glad!” Akko cheered. “This was a real honor, Your Majesty!”

“Oh, please, call me Mr. Mouse. Say, Akko, may I have a word with you for a moment?”

“Oh, certainly! Excuse us.” she said to her friends.

“The fame’s going to her head already.” Diana could tell.

“I still don’t think I did that good a job.” Jasminka said.

“Relax, Jassy, you were great.” Amanda patted her back in comfort. “Soon, everyone’s gonna know who you are.” (Play “Deep Affection” from _Little Witch Academia_.)

Mickey led Akko to the outside of the studio and toward the castle gates. “You know, Akko, I thought I’ve seen you somewhere before. You and that blonde-haired witch… you were the same ones who destroyed that missile, weren’t you?”

“You mean you were watching that?!” Akko nearly gasped.

“Of course! You don’t just destroy a missile threatening to demolish Appleton and not get seen on the news-hoho. For two young witches, it was the shiniest display of magic I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, I have this to thank for that.” Akko presented her prized possession. “It’s the Shiny Rod! You must’ve heard of Shiny Chariot, right?”

“My word! That’s one of the Ancient Wands, Claiomh Solais!” Mickey said in awe.

“Yeah, it’s kind of funny: after we destroyed the missile, the Shiny Rod returned to the sky where it belonged. But then, when I woke up one morning, I found it in my bed, and I have no idea why.” Akko faced up at the sky with a smile. “It’s like… the Stars really wanted me to have it.”

“Extraordinary. Its power doesn’t compare to the Star Rod or Fairy’s Tail, and yet… to have become a master of it is no small feat.”

“Well, I’m not that much of a master. When I fell on you, that was my shabby attempt at riding a broom, hehe. In fact…” She nervously twisted the Shiny Rod in her hands. “The truth is, Mickey, I have Magic Deficiency. I have to work 10 times harder than all my friends to be able to keep up with them. If it wasn’t for them, I never would have made it this far. Not to KND, not to Luna Nova, not anywhere.”

“There’s nothing more powerful or more valuable than friendship, remember that. I never would have made it this far without all my friends. And that’s why you shouldn’t feel bad for relying on them. Now… let me show you something, Akko.” Mickey led her to some stairs, taking her to the platform above the castle gates. “What do you see?”

Akko had a magnificent view of Disney Town and all its joyous denizens and tourists. “I see lots of people, for one thing. There’s a giant kid carrying some smaller kids around. That Fishkid is splashing a Cheetah from the fountain; they seem to be having fun though. I see a wheelchair girl; aww, she looks so happy.”

“Exactly, Akko. So many people, living together in harmony. That’s what Disney represents. And it’s what I want, not just for my people, but for everyone! I know that I buy a lot of companies and unite a lot of kingdoms; you must’ve heard plenty of jokes about that-hoho.”

“Heheh, it’s true.” Akko blushed.

“But I’m more than that, let me tell you. It isn’t my dream to merely own everything. My dream, Akko, is to unite the universe. I want all peoples to live together, to play together, and be happy together. No competition, no war, and no hatred. That’s what I want for everyone.”

“That’s exactly what I want, too! I mean, I didn’t exactly have ‘uniting the universe’ in mind… but what I do want is to make people happy. I want to show the world, no—ALL the worlds what I can do and inspire them, the same way Chariot did!”

“You and I have the same dream, Akko. And you’re the kind of girl that can make it happen.” Mickey raised a hand and conjured a small Light Sphere. “Like me, your heart is full of light.”

While no one could see, a flock of golden butterflies began to amass around Akko and Mickey, attracted by the radiant glow around them. “You see, Akko, people love a person like you. A true hero they can follow. That’s what I try to be for my people. But if the two of us work together, we can achieve both our dreams. We can make everyone live happily ever after.”

Akko couldn’t believe what she was hearing. To think that just a year ago, she was Luna Nova’s biggest screw-up… Now, the supposed most powerful king on the planet was asking her to work with him. “King Mickey… I’m honored… really, I am… but I couldn’t. I’m part of a sector, in the Kids Next Door. I want to keep helping my team. After all they’ve done for me, I have to be able to help them.”

“I understand. But you know, I’ve always admired your Kids Next Door.” Mickey turned to his subjects, facing up at the sky. “The way you inspire others is simply breathtaking. In fact, you know something, Akko? There’s a certain boy I planned to meet with later. I haven’t called him yet; I’m a little shy about talking to him-hoho. I think I’ll do it sometime tomorrow… this talk with you has really inspired me.”

“What’s his name?”

“His name is Cheren Uno. And I hear that the Kids Next Door refer to him as Everyone’s Friend.”

“Oh… He’s Earth’s leader, isn’t he?”

“Yes. And I would love to become friends with him as well. But, there’s no guarantee that I can. I’m just an adult, after all.” He spoke sadly. “But even if I don’t… I was glad to have met you, Akko.” He faced up at her. “And I hope that you realize your dream someday. A girl like you can truly change the world.”

Tears were welling in her eyes. Never had Akko felt so much hope and confidence until today. She bent down and embraced him in a hug. “Thank you, Mr. Mouse.”

Mickey smiled sweetly and returned the hug. (End song.)

**Sector LN; the next day**

“Hurry up, Lotte, hurry uuuuuup!” Akko shook her legs up and down impatiently. “They’re about to air the commercial!”

“I’m coming, Akko!” Lotte rushed into her seat with a drink and chips.

“I don’t see why you’re getting so worked up over this.” Diana said. “It’s just a silly commercial. It’s not what I’d ask for in terms of publicity.”

“Yeah, and how many commercials do you think Sector V has been in? Besides their cheesy rap video, that is.”

“Hmmm…” Diana stroked her chin in thought. “I still wonder why Gruntilda wanted Vibranium. And why she expected King Mickey to give her some, no less. I can only hope she isn’t threatening him.”

“Please, how could anyone threaten King Mickey? Alright, it’s starting! I can’t wait to see how we look!”

 _“For the FIRST TIME in foreveeeerrr!”_ Akko and Jasminka rose from below the screen, dancing gracefully in their slender physiques as the product appeared from a burst of frosty magic. _“You can take Olaf home with yoooouuu!”_

“Awwww!” Akko’s eyes sparkled. “Jasminka, look at us! We’re so beautiful! …Jasminka?” She noticed that her friend was frowning, looking confused.

“…Why am I… skinny?”

Upon closer inspection, Jasminka’s body in the commercial was much thinner than it actually was. “Huh… Yeah, you do look skinny. …Maybe it’s just the TV?”

“WAIT, LOOK!” Hannah yelled, casting a spell to rewind the video and pause it in place. “Take a look!” For one frame, Jasminka’s head had vanished, and now there were two Akkos. “Talk about an amateur editing mistake!”

“OH MY GOD!” Akko exclaimed. “Jasminka, that’s MY body! They clipped your head over MY body from the second recording!”

“B-But… why would they do that?”

“We’re gonna find out! Come on, team, we’re going back to Disney Land!” Akko marched out of the base.

“Hmmmm…” Diana had grown more suspicious.

**Disney Studio**

“What the HELL is this?!” King Mickey shouted at his editors, pointing at the very same frame. “Do you know how suspicious this looks?! Those picky film critics on YouTube are gonna have a field day when they spot this-hoho! How do you expect people to take Disney seriously with silly mistakes like this?!”

“Why did we even need to do this?!” asked Seth MacFarlane in anger. “You shouldn’t have hired a fat girl in the first place!”

“I was in front of the public, I had no choice! It was pure luck that Akko came along, let me tell you.”

“Look, Your Majesty, no one’s gonna mind.” Seth Green assured him. “It’s just one frame. I mean, it’s not as bad as _Mars Needs Moms_ , right?” he chuckled.

Mickey leapt up, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him down to his level. “We NEVER… speak of that movie… I thought we were clear on that, Green.”

“Y-Yes, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“Phew good, thank goodness-hoho.” Mickey released him and began to leave. “No way Disney would make a movie like that-hoho. Now fix that commercial and get started with Season 40 of _Family Guy_ -hoho!” He shut the door, and just after turning left- “Oh!” He ran into his two stars. “Well, hiya, ladies! Did you watch the commercial?”

“Um, yeah, we wanted to talk to you about that.” Akko said. “We couldn’t help but notice that… you kinda pasted Jasminka’s head on my body.”

“Is it because of the way I was dancing?” Jasminka asked. “Was I really that bad?”

“No no no, I didn’t mind the dancing at all.” Mickey replied. “The real issue, well, I’m not sure how to put it into words, but…” He scratched his head awkwardly, “the problem is you were too rotund.”

Jasminka felt a knife graze her heart. “I’m too f-fat?”

“It’s nothing against you personally, Jasminka. It’s my viewers. Our fans LOVE Girl Power messages and model female protagonists. But the reason our ladies are so popular is because they capture the essence of a pure and respectable female, someone they should strive to be like. But in most places, being overweight is generally frowned upon, so if we had an overweight heroine, people would think Disney was trying to encourage obesity-hoho!”

“Are you saying Jasminka should be ashamed for being fat?!” Akko asked angrily.

“No no-hoho! We just don’t want people to be too distracted by her weight to notice the beautiful side of her. After all, true beauty is on the inside, not the outside-hoho, and I was trying to embody her inner beauty-hoho.”

“And that was reflected in the image of MY body?”

“That was just an easy way to save time and money. Look, ladies, hiding Jasminka’s weight isn’t a choice I would like to make, but it’s the way things are. How many movies do you know have husky female heroes? How many famous female KND operatives are husky? Heck, ever wonder why no one clapped for Amethyst when she appeared at Comic Con? That’s because girls want to be inspired, follow the examples set by strong and confident-looking female leads. It’s okay to have overweight boys; their preferences work differently.”

“But it just doesn’t feel right. Sigh… what do you think, Jasminka?”

“Uh… I dunno. What do you think, Akko?”

“I think you should be the one to choose how they portray you. I mean, it’s your body.”

“Um… Well… if I’m being honest, Mr. Mouse… I agree that people should care about a person’s inner beauty… but I would like people to know who I am on the outside, too. I want to feel pride in how I look. I can’t really help that I’m fat, anyway. I have a disease that compels me to eat, or else I’ll get extremely hungry.”

“Sounds like something to see a doctor about.”

“B-But I have, and they…oh…” Jasminka had the explanation on the tip of her tongue, but her sadness and hurt created a stir in her mind that prevented her from forming the words.

“Look, what does it matter?” Akko asked. “Jasminka’s proud of who she is and isn’t afraid of being judged by others. Isn’t that inspiring enough?”

“Yes, everyone claims to have pride in what they do, even if it’s playing videogames or browsing through fanart on the computer. ’Course, if one of my dancers was mindlessly staring at their phone the whole time, the audience would laugh and they wouldn’t take us seriously. Don’t you remember _The Emoji Movie_? The same applies here.”

“Well, I think you should’ve asked us before making a decision like that!”

“Look, girls, do you think running a company this big is easy?” Mickey asked in a masked aggressive tone. “You think pride and Girl Power alone is gonna help me unite the universe? The only thing people want is to be happy, and nothing makes them happier than following their own ideals of perfect heroes. We may have masked your obesity, but it was a small price to pay to make even more people happy.”

“Yeah, well what if people in real life know what Jasminka really looks like?! What if we go around and introduce her to all your fans?!”

“Uh, Akko…” Jasminka felt embarrassed by the idea.

“Go ahead. The commercial already aired, you’ll just be humiliating yourself at that point. People will ignore you and just keep watching the ‘other’ you on the commercial. I’m sure you can relate to that, Akko; Chariot was a fraud, too, wasn’t she?”

“YOU TAKE THAT BACK!” Akko grabbed the Shiny Rod and was about to smash him with it.

“NO, AKKO!” Jasminka grabbed the rod and restrained her. “Don’t get yourself in trouble over me! Please!”

“Hurf!” Akko lowered her wand. “Fine! Then I demand you take the commercial down!”

“It’s too late, people are already drawing fanart of you two. You realize you girls are making thousands of gems out of this deal, right? Put your weight problems aside and think about that.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this! Your Majesty, you told me you wanted to make everyone happy. So, why shouldn’t you make my friend happy and show everyone how she really looks?”

“Oh, Jasminka’s problem is a small one in the grand scheme of things. One day, she’ll get over it on her own. I mean, compared to our dreams, Akko, do you really want to exhaust your energy over her little wish?”

“. . . . Maybe you’re right.” Concealing terrific rage in her heart, Akko turned and walked out of the studio.

“Uh… Excuse me, Mr. Mouse.” Jasminka said politely before following her.

**Sector LN Base**

“GRRRRR!” Amanda’s head was on fire. “That damn mouse! I can’t BELIEVE he hurt Jasminka’s feelings like that!”

“Amanda, please calm down.” Jasminka told her. “It isn’t a big deal… really.”

“Yes it is, Jasminka! For all we know, Mickey probably does that with everybody! I say we march up to his castle and pound some SENSE into him!” She fist-palmed and made a mini explosion.

“I know you’re not serious.” Diana remarked. “Or have you not been listening to anything I’ve said these past few days? We can’t fight Gruntilda, we can’t fight Queen Sherry, and since Mickey isn’t even a criminal, there’s no way we can challenge him without looking bad.”

“You know what, I’m getting SICK of you, Diana!” Amanda stomped up and looked her dead in the eye. “You’re nothing but a coward! You spent your WHOLE life being the top student, but the second someone BETTER comes along, you just want to hide in this little school where you’re still the queen. Hell, the only reason we JOINED Kids Next Door is because AKKO wanted to, not YOU! She’s the only one that gives us courage! I think SHE should be the leader! SHOW OF HANDS, guys!” Amanda shot her hand up. “Who wants to strip Diana of her title and make Akko the new leader?!”

However, no one else did. They were only staring at Amanda with saddened looks of disagreement. “…What? Not even you, Akko? You keep saying that you wanna be leader.”

“Amanda, I’m flattered, but… I mean, when I hear it out loud, it feels like a lot of responsibility. I make too many mistakes, whereas Diana’s more level-headed.”

“But these past two days, we’ve been agreeing with your decisions, and they all worked out in the end! Heck, DIANA agreed with them.”

“I know, but… it’s the fact she agrees with them that I’m confident they can work.”

“And right now, I don’t agree with this one.” Diana said. “As your leader, I order you to let this go, Amanda.”

“. . . Grrrrrrr.” Amanda marched away. “If you need me, I’ll be in the Sun Room.” She tore open a metal door and slammed it shut, sealing herself in. _“RRRRRRRRRRRRR!”_ The sides of the door ignited orange.

“She never waits for me to finish.” Diana sighed once more. “So, Hannah, do you have the footage?”

“Right here.” Hannah smiled, playing the meeting between Akko, Jasminka, and Mickey Mouse on her crystal ball.

“W-What?!” Akko gaped. “You mean you were… recording it?!”

“I anticipated something like this to happen,” Diana explained, “so I minimized Hannah’s camera and turned her into a fly so that she could spy on the meeting. I didn’t bother to tell you girls because I didn’t want you to look suspicious.”

“I hate it when Diana turns us into bugs, though.” Hannah wept. “Anyways, what do I do with this? Want me to post it on the Internet?”

“No. I was actually planning to show it to a certain group of people. However, I wanted to ask your permission first, you two.”

“Our permission?” Jasminka asked.

“Yes. Not only because I know this was a sensitive moment for you, Jasminka… but keep in mind that, if I show these people the video… we may be making an enemy out of Mickey Mouse. So, I leave the decision up to you.”

“…” Akko made a smile. “What kind of leader leaves a decision like that up to an idiot like me?”

“The same leader who appointed that idiot as her Vice-Leader.”

“Then I say, go ahead and do it!”

“And you, Jasminka?”

“…” Her brows furrowed over her closed eyes. “Yes. I’m not ashamed.”

“Okay.” Diana said determinedly. “Here goes nothing.”

About half an hour later, Jasminka stood near the Sun Room, listening as Amanda continued to exert her rage. The Russian bowed her head in guilt, knowing that Amanda was only being angry for her friend’s sake.

_“But Mom, I don’t wanna go to Witch School.” Amanda whined._

_“After the way YOU’VE been behaving this year, you don’t get to decide!” Amanda shrunk in fear of her mother’s shouting. “You’re the only other mage in our family, when grandpa dies, you’re the only one who can inherit the business! Because if you don’t, you won’t be welcome in this house!”_

_…_

_“Hello, there.” Jasminka greeted with a bubbly smile. “You must be my new roommate. My name is Jasminka. Would you like a chip?”_

_“I just wanna lie down, give it to the short chick.” Amanda responded snarkily, going to plop down on the bottom bunk._

_“Oh… okay.”_

_The next night, Amanda was trying to rest and cool her mind, but was constantly bugged by Jasminka’s crunching. “Ugh, will you STOP eating that stuff?!” Amanda swiped the bag of chips. “It’s giving me a headache!”_

_“I-I’m sorry, Amanda. But I can’t stop eating, or else I…”_

_“Or else what?”_

_“Mmm…” With great hesitation, Jasminka decided to tell her the truth._

_“So… you really have no choice but to eat?” Amanda asked afterward. “Your hunger is really that bad?”_

_“Uh-huh… I’m a freak, aren’t I?”_

_Amanda could tell this was a sensitive subject, and that she was probably ridiculed in the past about this. “I’m sorry, Jasminka.” She got up and hugged the chubby witch. “If you really have to, you can keep eating. And if anyone picks on you, I’ll beat ’em up.”_

_“You don’t have to do that, Amanda… but thanks.” Jasminka cracked a sweet smile._

_…_

_“Amanda, if you don’t care about learning magic, why did you come to Luna Nova?”_

_“Because my parents forced me to.” Amanda replied, using her wand to whirl a mini fireball around. “‘You’re lucky that Luna Nova would accept a brat like you. Now come back a respectable witch or don’t come back at all.’ Well, fuck them. Fuck this school and fuck magic.”_

_“You really hate magic that much?”_

_“Except for the broom-riding part, it can all burn in hell.”_

_“…Does that mean you hate us, too?”_

_Amanda looked over, her friend’s pudgy face about to burst with tears. “I could never hate you, Jasminka.” Amanda got up and hugged her. “You’re someone I can rely on.”_

_“I am?”_

_“Yeah. I feel like you’re someone I can share all my feelings with. Someone I can be myself around.”_

_“Aww…” Jasminka enveloped the slimmer witch in her strong arms. “I feel the same way about you, Amanda.”_

Finally, Amanda stepped out of the Sun Room, covered in sweat. “Oh, Jasminka. You, uh, been there long?”

“Not long. I just wanted to tell you… you don’t have to get so angry over me, Amanda.”

“Well, if I were in your shoes, I would be pretty angry. But you just aren’t like that. You’re too sweet to get angry. I guess I just felt like I had to do it for you. I couldn’t stand it.”

“You’re a very kind friend, Amanda.” Jasminka embraced her in her muscular arms, tightening the hug to emphasize her gratitude. “I feel so bad that I made you angry.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, Jassy.” Amanda hugged her chubby friend, blushing. “But if you are upset, I want you to at least take it out on me. I’m angry all the time, I can take it.”

“I know, Amanda. But I think I’ll just let Diana handle it from here.”

“What do you mean?”

**Disney Castle**

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Chip the Chipmunk bounced in his control seat. “The Earth Moonbase has answered our call!”

“Well, whaddya waiting for? Bring him up-hoho!”

None other than Earth’s Supreme Leader, Cheren Uno, displayed on the screen. _“Hey, Mickey Mouse! Wow, when Larry said you were trying to call me, I thought he was crazy! Haha, wow!”_

“Nice to meet ya, Cheren! I’ve heard a lot of great things about you-hoho! May I say, it’s quite the honor.”

 _“Heh, you’re telling me.”_ Cheren blushed. _“Aren’t you like the King of Avalar or something?”_

“No, just part of it-hoho. But listen, Cheren, the reason I’m calling you is… well, I would like for us to be friends.”

_“I’m gonna have to say ‘no.’”_

“What? Haha, Cheren, don’t get the wrong idea.” Mickey blushed. “I’m not like Mr. Schnee. I was hoping to form a real alliance with you-hoho.”

 _“Mr. Mouse, do you recognize this video?”_ With that, Cheren brought up the very clip of the meeting. Mickey’s eyes popped out at the sight of it. _“Apparently, you kinda hurt these girls’ feelings.”_

“B-But they’re not even your operatives, are they?”

 _“No, but they’ve become Sector V’s new friends, and they were pretty mad at this, too. Naturally, this anger spread to me. Heh, it’s nothing personal, Mickey, but I don’t think an alliance would work. Anyways, can’t stick around. Gotta go play_ Zelda _.”_ Transmission ended.

“. . . . .” Mickey’s mouth was left to hang open.

**Luna Nova Cafeteria**

“You showed it to the… Supreme Leaders?” Amanda asked in utter shock, the Nine Witches occupying a table.

“Only ours, along with GKND’s leader, and Earth’s leader, with the request that they only keep it known to the likes of the KND.” Diana replied. “Seeing as King Mickey claimed he wanted to befriend Earth’s leader, I knew he would attempt to try and buy his way into our ranks, in some way or another. And a popular figure like Mickey could easily do that… unless our Supreme Leaders had a glimpse of his darker side. From then on, the choice would be up to them. Before yesterday, I had no intent of doing that at all. But King Mickey hurt Jasminka’s feelings. As the pride of Luna Nova, I detest anyone who tries to hurt my classmates.”

“Whoa… I guess I did peg you wrong. But it doesn’t really feel like it did much…”

“It may not now…” Diana closed her eyes, “but I can feel a storm brewing in Mickey’s mind. After all, Amanda, you and I are arrogant people. We always want things to go our way, or else we’ll get angry.” She faced Amanda with a smirk. “And the higher a position you have, the worse the condition is.”

“. . . .” Slowly, Amanda’s face cracked into a smirk. “I take it back, Diana. In your own way, you’re pretty diabolical.”

“Yes.” Diana brushed her hair back. “In a way, I suppose you rubbed off on me. Hm?” She noticed that Amanda was holding a fist up. The girls looked in surprise, for it seemed Diana earned the right to an Amanda knuckle-touch. The heiress rolled her eyes and touched knuckles with her. _“Khooooo!”_ Amanda made the explosion gesture. “Mmmmmm.” Diana simply waved her hand, mimicking it in a less-enthusiastic way.

“The problem is they’re probably still going to be airing that commercial for awhile.” Akko said. “I don’t know if I want Disney’s money now.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Jasminka said with a smile. “I’m just happy to have you all to support me. …I’m more worried about you, Akko. After hearing what Mickey said, that must’ve been pretty heartbreaking.”

“It was, but… you’re kind of used to it after the first time.” Akko smiled weakly. “From now on, I think the only heroes I want to admire are you guys.”

“Aww, always with the sweet sentiments from you.” Amanda grinned. “I get it, Try Hard, don’t worry: we’ll protect you when King Mickey comes to kill you.”

“Oh, don’t be stupid. He might be mad, but I certainly don’t think he’s the vengeful type.”

**Disney Castle**

“He…he…he said ‘no’ to me.” Mickey stuttered, clasping his head. “He said ‘no’… to me. Cheren Uno… Everyone’s Friend… said ‘no’ to me. Uno…U…no… I-It was those witches.” Their images throbbed in his mind: Akko, Jasminka… Akko, Jasminka… Akko… “They set this up… th-they’re trying to make Disney look bad. Trying to make ME look bad! They tried to humiliate me… after I shared my feelings with her, she humiliated me… t-tried to… She tried…tried… She tried…”

Mickey inhaled a breath through his nose, and breathed out. He calmly went to his kitchen and began to brew some tea. The tea glimmered blue like a moon, and he sipped it. “Sniiiiff…aaaaahhh.” His heart was at ease. “New Moon Tea. Yeah… she tried… but she failed.” His smiling form brimmed an eerie blue in the darkness.

With that, Mickey went to his phone and dialed a number. “Hello? Gruntilda? It’s me… Mickey… So, how much Vibranium did you need?”

 

**Normally, the 3rd chapter feels like a “Black Sheep” in these stories, but this had to be one of my favorite chapters. For one, we gave Jasminka some screen time, and she was very lacking in development in the canon series. Also, this won’t be the only time Akko manages to piss off a monarch. …If you read the next story, you know what I mean.**


	4. If We Were Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nine Witches decide to enter the Negaverse and meet their opposites.

**Well, I was in a negative mood lately. So, let’s make this chapter Negative! Happy Memorial Day, everyone!**

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Chapter 4: If We Were Different

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**Luna Nova Sports Field**

“INCENDIO!” Akko cast the spell directly skyward, unleashing a great flame—but it quickly divided into firecrackers and smoke.

“No, Akko, you gotta get angrier!” Amanda shouted. “Like this: INCENDIO!” She cast the spell skyward, unleashing a column of fire that rivaled the New Moon Tower.

“I’m as ANGRY as I can GET! I’m not a Solaran, thank you for asking; any more angry and my HEAD will melt!”

“Besides, anger will not help you perfect the spell.” Diana said, coming up to them. “You move your wand in the air in the shape of a candle, like this.” She demonstrated.

“But I never see you or Amanda doing that!”

“When our wands become adapted to the spell, they can cast it without the proper movements, but this is how we help them adapt until then.”

“Okay.” Akko drew the image in the air. “Incendio.” More firecrackers came out.

“You have to say the spell _while_ drawing it.”

“Ugh! Incendi—darn it! Incen—d’oh!” She kept messing up the drawing. “Incendio! Errrgh!”

“Akko, perhaps that’s enough practicing with the Fire Spell.” Diana told her, putting out a small candle in her hair. “Let’s try the Ventus Spell. All that is is a swirl.”

“Or I can do like Wendy does!” Akko smirked. “Ventus Incendio!” She swirled the wand around, her friends ducking as a flaming shockwave exploded out of the wand.

“Watch yourself, Miss Kagari!” yelled Professor Nelson.

“Sorry!”

It was currently free time in gymnastics class, so many students were outside, either racing around the track, practicing magic, or doing other things. Professors Finnelan and Ursula watched Akko’s efforts from a second-floor window of the school. “It’s nice to see Akko finally accepting Diana’s help.” Ursula said.

“No doubt she could’ve used it a long time ago.” Finnelan replied, arms folded. “It doesn’t seem like you’ve been training her as much lately.”

“Well, since Akko’s joined the KND, we haven’t had much time. Besides, it’s much more fun to train with friends. There’s a lot you can teach each other.”

“Huff…huff…huff…” Akko began panting after a few more tries.

“Your magic energy’s nearly depleted.” Diana said. “Perhaps it’s time for a break.”

“No, just let me drink one of Sucy’s potions! I need to get in as much training as possible!”

“Why, so you’ll be ready when Mickey’s Vengeance Army comes to tear this school down?” Amanda remarked, deciding to get on her broom and do some pull-ups. “Why do you need to know all these combat spells when you have the Shiny Rod, anyway?”

“Because the Shiny Rod takes up too much of my energy. Besides, it was useless against Sheila, what if I encounter other lightbender enemies? Heck, at that rate, I need to practice some darkness spells, too!”

“Well, even if you do,” Lotte replied, “you’ll always have us to back you up.”

“I don’t wanna have to rely on you guys all the time. You’re so ahead of me, and I’m tired of falling behind. I’m never going to inspire people if I can’t do the simplest magic!”

Diana placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Akko, I know you’re trying, and I’m proud of the effort you’re putting in… but you need to accept your limitations.”

“What limitations?! If you were able to get your magic back, then I can too, you said so!”

“I know I did. But this isn’t just about your Magic Deficiency. The only reason I became as talented as I am was by pushing myself beyond my limits. But not all witches can be like me, because there will be some things they just aren’t good at. I don’t mean to discourage you, Akko, but you were far later in learning magic than the rest of us. You won’t be able to close the gap in such a short time. You should be focusing your efforts on what you _are_ skilled at, even if it’s your shape-shifting.”

“But I’m already good at shape-shifting. Heck, look how fast I can transform.” Akko flicked her wand and turned into a monkey. “See? Didn’t need a spell, didn’t need a crazy movement, ook-ook.”

“Exactly.” Diana smiled. “Now you should try changing without a wand.”

Akko changed back. “But what good will that do me in the long run? Chariot didn’t ‘Wow’ the crowds just by transforming. If I don’t keep training, you’ll have a better chance at becoming like Chariot than I will.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Amanda said, lying on her broom as she casually floated over them. “Seriously, you think you’re the only one with problems? Diana’s a prick, I’m a disrespectful brat, Jasminka has to keep eating, and Hannah and Barb are chickens.”

“WE ARE NOT!” the two shouted.

“My point is, we all have weaknesses, it’s stuff we just have to live with. Just like your Magic Deficiency.”

“At least Akko is making an effort to conquer her flaw.” Diana replied in disapproval. “You, Amanda, embrace your flaw with no shame in it whatsoever.”

“And you took an example from me and mentally dissed Mickey Mouse. Who’s the bad guy now?”

“WAIT A MINUTE!” Akko was suddenly pumped with enthusiasm. “I just got another crazy idea!”

“This can only go so well.” Diana sighed. “Fine, Akko, spill it.”

“Let’s go to the Mirror World!”

“Mirror World? Do you mean the Negaverse?”

“Yeah, whatever it’s called! I mean, since we got to talking about our problems and stuff, I just wonder what our opposites would be like! I bet the Nega-Akko is super talented and the best at everything! Despite being a royal SNOOOOB.”

“It sounds like a great idea to me.” Lotte smiled. “I heard that all the Earth operatives got to meet their parallels, so we might as well join the bandwagon.”

“Oh, if we must.” Diana shook her head. “After school, we can go to the Negaverse via the mirror in my room. Luckily, I know the spell to open the portal without the need of our Negatives.”

“First we went to an uncharted planet, now we’re off to another dimension!” Akko proclaimed proudly. “I’m so excited, I can’t stand it!”

“And we can’t stand following you to our deaths.” Barbara remarked.

**Grunty Industries, Hivory Mountains**

Gruntlings hauled in five large crates with Mickey Mouse’s insignia. Professor Kriplespac seemed to levitate a chainsaw, cutting the crates open to reveal metal containers inside. “Ahhhhh! Ze Vibranium Bombs!” The weasel professor floated up and hugged the containers lovingly. “It is ein dream come true to be able to gaze upon you! Let alone touch you like so, ja ja…”

“They will make fine weapons indeed, for carrying out our little deed.” Gruntilda said.

“Ignoring that cheap rhyme,” Capital B replied, “when do you plan to collect the acid from Planet Venom?”

“Sunday is a good day, to leave enough time for leeway.”

“Yes, perhaps. You should also know that I’ve ordered our special spies to harvest trees from the Forest of Niall tonight. That wood will serve as fair payment for the Kremling Krew.”

“Excellent, B. For once, things are looking well for me. Hrm…” Grunty stared intently at a newspaper, which was stolen from the KND and depicted Sector LN’s valiant feat of exploring Bobopolis. Her lifeless eyes narrowed on the beautiful Cavendish. “And perhaps once this operation is through… Miss Cavendish, I’ll pay a visit to you…”

**Diana’s Room**

“Alright, here we go: Speculum Introitus!” Diana cast the spell on her mirror, turning it into a portal. The Nine Witches bravely stepped inside.

Within seconds, they arrived on the opposite end. The room in question appeared to be Diana’s, except there were plenty of cobwebs. “What an untidy room.” Diana said.

The girls curiously viewed outside the window. They gaped, seeing witches float around on hovercrafts, the grounds outside covered in artificial plants and trees. Luna Nova’s walls were cold and metal, and clouds filled the sky. “Look at this place!” Akko said, eyes wide. “It’s all… techy!”

“It’s Luna Nova without financial trouble.” Lotte commented.

“Mmmmmmmmm…” Constanze was gazing at the view in pure euphoria. So much wondrous technology.

“Check it out!” Amanda pointed. “It’s a KND treehouse! I mean, a DNK one, I guess. That must be where our opposites are! Let’s go up and say ‘hello’!” She mounted her broom.

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Akko hopped on behind her.

“WAIT, you two!” Diana shouted, but was too late as they had already flown out the window.

“Hey, look at them!” one of the students pointed in panic. “They’re riding on a broom! They must be… WWWWWWITCHEEEES!”

 _“WITCH! WITCH! WITCH! WITCH!”_ They all drew laser rifles and fired at the two, but their friends surrounded them on their own brooms and cast Protego shields. “Well, it’s still not as bad as Bobopolis!” Amanda remarked. _“AAAH!”_ The Nine Witches were caught within a tractor beam, being pulled up into the DNK treehouse.

“Well, at least we’ll get in faster.” Lotte said nervously.

The beam brought them up into a room before releasing the girls. “Oh my gosh, are you really witches?!” They saw a girl in the entrance of the room, wearing a pink dress, high-heels, and had navy hair in pigtails. “I thought when I saw the brooms, I knew you must be witches, I mean the old kinds, the ones that use brooms and junks! Oh gosh, I gotta see!” She excitedly pranced up to them.

The girls gaped at her impeccably tall height, but this did not surprise them as much as who it was. “Constanze, it’s YOU!” Akko realized. “You’re a GIANT in this universe!”

“Constanze, that’s not my name! My friends call me Esnoc, but my full name is-”

_“PLEASE don’t say it.”_

“Oh gosh, you look like me!” Esnoc bent down so her head was right over Constanze. “But you’re mini! You’re a mini me! My, you’re so adorable, I wanna keep you!” She joyfully picked the shortest witch up by the shoulders, hugging her lovingly. All the while, Constanze was royally humiliated by her taller self.

“Forgive us, Esnoc, but we are from the Posiverse.” Diana explained. “We wanted to meet our Negatives, so that’s why we are here.”

“Oh why didn’t you say so?! Oh gosh, my friends will LOVE to meet you! Follow me!” She happily skipped out of the room—“OW!” and bumped her head on the doorway. “Sorry! Sometimes I’m so tall, it kills me!”

“Mmmmmmgh.” Constanze moaned.

The witches followed her to the living room, where it seemed the other team members were gathered, doing their own activities. They all faced the visitors simultaneously, both sharing equal expressions of awe and bewilderment. “Oh, great.” They were approached by a girl who looked just like Akko, but with strict blue eyes. “What have you done now, Esnoc?” she asked in an elegant tone.

“Oh my gosh!” Akko’s eyes sparkled. “It’s me! A more sophisticated version of me!”

“Oh, these must be our Positives. Well, my dear, my name is Okusta Iragak, but your feeble-minded tongue may refer to me as ‘Okka.’”

“Okay, Okka!”

“I dislike you already.”

“Th-Th-Th-They’re our Positives?” Ettol, Lotte’s Negative, asked in a stutter, her body twitching. She had braces and spiked blonde hair. “D-D-D-Does that mean they’re g-g-ghosts?!”

“Make yourselves at home.” Ycus said kindly. She was much rounder than her counterpart, munching on bananas and apples and clothed in only a black top and shorts.

“Excuse me, Miss.” A squeaky voice spoke. “Are you _my_ Positive?”

Diana looked around for the source, before feeling something on her foot. “HUH?!” She was staring down at a doll-sized version of herself, baring an adorable smile.

“You are! My, I’ve never looked up at myself before!”

“I’M _TINY_ IN THIS WORLD?!” Diana’s jaw dropped.

“Man, I’ve always wanted to do this!” Amanda kicked Anaid to the floor and pinned her foot on her. “My chance to squish Diana like a bug with my foot!”

“No, Amanda!” Jasminka pulled her off. “If you kill Tiny Diana, then our Diana will die!”

“Yes, so please desist.” Adnama ordered. She had longer hair and had a longer skirt than her opposite, and her chest was noticeably bigger. “Furthermore, the rules of Vetus Solem clearly state that witches of your stature are not allowed. Please leave quietly.”

“Vetus Solem?” Akko asked.

“It’s Latin for ‘Old Sun.’” Diana clarified. “Making it opposite of Luna Nova – New Moon. So, I deduce that you’re known as Sector VS.”

“You sound so smart and confident!” Anaid beamed.

“Okay, well, before any of us gets a headache,” Lotte began sheepishly, “why don’t we all take our counterparts to different rooms and get to know them?”

“You say that as if we already agreed.” Okka said in annoyance.

“Well, you did say ‘Okka.’” Akko grinned amusingly.

“Wait a minute.” Hannah spoke up. “We don’t see our Negatives anywhere.”

“No, they’re coming now.” Okka pointed.

“YAHOOOOO!” Two girls broke through the window, one in green tech armor and another in light-gray armor. “Brave Mecha Gladiators, Hannah and Arabrab, make their return!”

“They’re back!” Anaid said adoringly. “I love those two so much! They’re so strong and confident!”

“Are you saying WE’RE NOT?!” Hannah asked, her and Barbara glaring imposingly at the tiny Negative.

“N-No no, of course not! You two look strong, too!”

“Hey, check it out, Hannah!” Arabrab pointed. “Those two must be fans of ours!”

“Pretty quirky imitation! You think they FIGHT as good as we do?!”

“Only one way to find out! Let’s take them…” They boosted over with rocket shoes and grabbed their counterparts.

 _“TO MECHA MAYHEM!”_ And they shot out the window like rockets, Hannah and Barbara screaming to the heavens.

“Sigh… I guess we don’t have a choice.” Okka sighed. “They should be back within the hour, so you have that long.”

“Sweet!” cheered Akko. “Time to meet our matches!”

**Ettol’s Room**

“It’s nice to meet with you, Ettol.” Lotte said kindly. “My name is Lotte Jansson. I hope it isn’t hard to pronounce or anything, hehe.”

“Yeah yeah, if you’re gonna stay, you can at least play -2-player with me.” Ettol replied, entering her room, where there lay stacks of game cases.

“Oh, you play videogames.” Lotte observed as her Negative began to sit and activate her console. “I’m more into books than I am games. Although I do enjoy the _Zelda_ titles. Mostly because I’m a fantasy geek.”

“Yuck, fantasy. That’s for babies. Here’s how the big girls play!” The game in question was called _Plumbers’ Duty_. It depicted a Negative Mario, dressed like a soldier as he was blowing the heads off Koopas and Goombas with his shotgun.

“It’s certainly more… violent than what I’m used to. I take it you don’t read much?”

“I read a little manga, but everything sucks.”

“Do you have _One Piece_?”

“We have _Ten Wholes_ – everything about it is terrible.”

“ _Fairy Tail_?”

“ _Goblin Ear_ – epic battles, but awful characters.”

“ _Dragon Ball_?”

“ _Fairy Chest_ – beautifully crafted story that only adults can appreciate.”

“ _Bleach_?”

“ _Color_ – started bad, but had a lot more variety going in.”

“ _Black Butler_?”

“ _White Maid_ – atrocious artwork with horrible Christian propaganda.”

“Well, you’ve certainly got a critical taste for quality.” Lotte smiled. “Hey, have you ever wished you could interact with the characters in the game?”

“Nope. Interacting with them right now. As old Oiram shoots the head off this Apook.”

“I mean REALLY interact with them. Watch this: ahem… _la la la… la la la… Spirit of the Game, please come to me…”_ Ettol’s face turned pale at the sight of the little ghost emerging from her console. It had a hat and mustache like Mario’s Negative. _“Dada Dia!”_

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Ettol bolted out of the treehouse and into the forest. “GHOST!! IN MY GAME! HEEEEEELLLLLP!”

“Ettooool! Come baaaaaack!” Lotte chased her on her broomstick.

**Ycus’s Room**

Fruit trees were abundant in this forestated room as Ycus picked bananas off and munched them up. “Well, let’s skip the obvious questions for now.” Sucy said. “Tell me about all the woes in your life.”

“OH GOD, I HAVE SO MANY!!” Ycus cried. “First my boyfriend dumps me, my sister kills my cat, my other sister kills my dog, and don’t get me started on what my brother did to my parrot!”

“I probably did all those things to my old pets.”

**Aknimsaj’s Room**

Aknimsaj was so skinny, you could practically see her ribcage. She hovered inches off the floor in deep meditation. _Grumbllllle._ Jasminka could not get her feet over her knees to mimic her posture, and her constant hunger greatly interfered with her concentration. She reached for her bag of chips, but Aknimsaj said, “No, my child. You must not let hunger get the best of you.”

“But if I don’t eat, my stomach will hurt.”

“Your stomach is not in command of you. You are in command of it. You must repress your urges and shield yourself from pain.”

Her stomach still growling, Jasminka glanced at the chips once more. …She breathed in and out through her nose, donning a serious expression as she resumed meditating. _If Akko can conquer her deficiency… I can conquer my hunger._

**Vetus Solem Halls**

“Oh Consie, you’re just gonna LOVE meeting my friends!” Esnoc said eagerly, still hugging and holding her shorter parallel. “They’re so funderful and wendly! (Wait, that came out wrong.)”

As she walked, Constanze couldn’t help but glance into the classrooms: one room had robots blasting at each other, another had lasers trying to burn through stone, and another had students making bombs, and one of them went off in the student’s face. This school was like a paradise to Constanze, full of students that could understand her.

“Here we are! Welcome to Old Age Magic!” Esnoc entered a room with potions and students in traditional witch’s attire. “Hey, guys, take a look at this! This girl is from the Posiverse, where people are traditional witches just like we are!”

“Oh gosh, she’s so cute and small!” one of the students said adoringly.

“She totally looks like she could be your baby sister!” Another girl came up and poked Constanze’s little nose.

“Alright, girls, what is all the fuss about?” They stepped aside to let the professor through. Unlike everyone else, she was dressed in a Luna Nova uniform (with the purple and white colors inversed), and had smooth lilac hair in a ponytail. “This girl is from the Ponyverse?”

“No, she’s from the Posiverse, silly professor!”

“P-Posiverse!” the woman flushed. “Right, how silly of me, why did I think ponies, hehe!” Her glasses fogged, hiding her green eyes, so she quickly wiped them off. “And what is our new Positive friend’s name?”

“I dunno, she never talks!” Esnoc bent her head completely upside-down in front of Constanze’s. “Maybe she doesn’t know her own name. C’mon, it’s easy, just say my name backwards! It’s Eznatsnoc __ __ __!”

Constanze could feel her ears bleed after the first name—it was so painfully unpronounceable that no other human could possibly utter it with a straight tongue. “Hahahaha!” one of the others giggled. “Eznatsnoc has the best name in the whole school! And it’s so easy to say, too! Eznatsnoc __ __ __!”

“I bet saying it backwards is even easier! C’mon, Posi-girl, tell us! Tell us!”

“Yeah, come on, it’s as easy as saying ‘is’!”

Pressure was building up on the little witch’s heart. Their constant prodding triggered a memory from her childhood.

_“Class, we have a new student joining us today. Go on and introduce yourself, sweetheart.”_

_Young Constanze had a large, cute ribbon on her head. She was eight years old, yet she felt much younger and smaller than her peers. “…My name…” She could get out two words, but that was it. “…i-is… Co-onst… C-Consta-anz-anze… A-A-Ama…Amal-lie…li-ie… A-Ama-alie… v-vo…” Snickers were already ringing across the classroom. Constanze blushed, her concentration breaking. “Am-Am-Am-Amalie-lie…”_

_“Ama-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma lie-lie-lie-lie-LIIIIEEEEE!” one of the kids was singing in the hallway. “She’s Ama-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma…”_

_“Hey, Consta, what was your name again? I dozed off in class.”_

_“Hey Constanze, is that some sorta new song or somethin’?”_

“Gosh, just tell us your name already!” Esnoc shouted. “Do ya know your own name or what?!”

“MMMNN!” Constanze bit the Negative’s arm.

“Yow!” She dropped Constanze as she ran out of the room and charged down the hall. Constanze dove into a restroom, going to sit on one of the stalls and sob to herself.

**Adnama’s Room**

“I don’t assume this will spur any good conversation with you,” Adnama said as she showed Amanda a scrapbook, “but here’s how I like to spend my days.”

Amanda opened it and looked through, seeing pictures of ashamed students. “The heck is this?”

“These are all the students whom I caught breaking the rules.”

“So, you’re some kind of hall monitor? Man, how lame can you get? Well, I’m not surprised.”

“I can only assume you’re of the delinquent nature. You clearly have no shame in your presentation, which is to be expected of such a flat chest.”

Amanda’s calmness broke like glass. “Excuse me?”

“In our world, a woman’s dignity is only symbolized by our beauty, and it guarantees us for a long life. It’s unfortunate that you are my Positive, however.”

“For your information, I’m part-Solaran, and we’re naturally flat-chested! But we also have longer lifespans, so you’re welcome.”

“Yes, but if you wanted to look more beautiful, you’re better off getting a sex-change.”

And that set off her fuse. “THAT’S IT! You like punishing people?! Well, Granny Suna always told me, if an ogre is shoving you in the toilet, you PUNCH him in the balls!” Her flaming fist flew and SOCKED her Negative in the jaw. “But since you’re a girl, the next best thing is jaws.”

Adnama stood, rubbing her jaw as she glared at her with spite. “You crossed the line, Delinquent. I’m left with no other option.”

**Principal’s Office**

Amanda was bound, gagged, and locked up in a cage. “I always knew Positives were nothing but trouble.” Professor Alusru said. “Don’t worry, Adnama, we’ll teach her some respect.”

“Thank you, Professor. I really hope my teeth aren’t fractured.”

Not a second later did the cage EXPLODE, and Amanda was brimming with Fire Fury. “When someone picks a fight with you, you fight back.” She spoke with pure infuriation. “And under no circumstances do you ever…EVER… TELL THE TEACHERS ON THEM!”

**Mecha Mayhem**

Two large robots charged at Hannah and Arabrab with buzzsaw hands, but the duo extracted lightsabers and severed the saws before slicing upward and slicing the robots in half. _“Hannah and Arabrab put on an impressive display as always! But I can’t say the same for their lookalikes, however.”_

“WE DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIS!” Hannah and Barbara were running for their lives from the pursuing Rollbots. “Grrr, I can’t take this anymore.” Barbara said, deciding to grab some seeds from her satchel and throw them along the ground. When the Rollbots rolled over them, the seeds BURST, wrapping them up in vines, but the robots unraveled and easily ripped them. During this moment, Hannah searched for a photo of Amanda’s fight with Chris on her camera, then she clicked the ‘Life’ button to create a green hologram of Amanda. She was as fiery as her original self, running up to start slicing the robots with a flaming sword.

“That Amanda clone’s the best shot we have at this point.” Hannah said, gasping for breath. “This camera takes my own magic energy to create these strong illusions. And I think the real Amanda is stronger than me…”

The clone was able to stab the left robot in the stomach, but that was all she could muster before the hologram vanished. _“Glik. Glik. Glik.”_ The robot beeped. _“Error. Error. Voice file not found. Oh, wait, there it is. It says, ‘Initiate Death Cannon.’”_ With that, both robots opened their chests and began charging powerful lasers.

“Have any plants that will work?” Hannah asked.

“No. It’s over, Hannah.”

And just before the robots fired the lasers, Hannah and Arabrab jumped in the way and extracted energy mirror shields, bouncing the beams directly skyward and exploding into blinding fireworks. “Nothing stands in the way of bravery and kindness!”

 _“It’s like they’re mocking us.”_ The Positives moaned.

**Anaid’s Room**

“Here we are! This is my room!” Anaid announced from the floor. After Diana looked up from her, she gasped in utmost disbelief: there were pictures of Okka all over the place. Her pillow was Okka, her blanket was Okka, and there were Okka bobble heads. “Whenever Okka cuts her hair, I save all the strands and use it for rope to get around! And there’s a necklace I made from her eyelashes. And there’s photos of me clipping her nails.”

“You…You seriously worship that girl?!” Diana couldn’t stomach the idea.

“Of course! She’s the most amazing magitist I’ve ever seen! How lucky I am to be in the same sector as her.”

“Don’t tell me that you actually shrunk yourself just to look up to her.”

“N-No. Actually…” Anaid looked down in shame, kicking at the floor. “I did this to myself when I tried to make a shrink ray. I asked Okka to help me, but she said…”

_“You dug your own hole with this, so you need to dig your way out.”_

“Hmm…” Diana began to piece it all together. _I had thought me and Akko switched roles, but this girl is nothing like Akko at all! Well, I suppose Akko obsessed over Chariot, but…_ “Well, have you tried to develop a growth ray?”

“Not really. I didn’t want to humiliate myself again. But it’s okay.” She looked up at Diana with a smile. “When I look up at people like this, I realize how awesome and amazing they are! And when I cheer at them, they feel really confident and believe in their selves!”

“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard! Don’t YOU long to make something out of yourself?! How could you be fine with merely looking up to people with no desire to be like them?!”

“B-But…But it’s hard.” Anaid was on the verge of tears, intimidated by her superior parallel.

Diana sighed. “Well, given that you’re so small, what if _I_ make the enlarging ray for you?”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“No, but I don’t feel so comfortable knowing my opposite is in such a vulnerable state. So, I insist that I make one for you.”

“I’m very grateful… but do you know how to?”

“Actually, I don’t. I don’t know anything about magitech. However, I am good at following instructions. So, please walk me through the process and I will do the best I can.”

“Wow… no one’s ever asked me to help them with anything.”

“Well, perhaps there are some things you are naturally gifted with. Things you can teach others to do. You won’t know until you try.”

“Diana…” Anaid formed a grateful smile and exclaimed, “I’m giving you the best foot rub of your life!”

“Please do not!”

**Okka’s Room**

“And then I grabbed Sheila in my talons,” Akko continued her riveting tale, “and grew six gorilla arms and started punching her. NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA! It was hard to manage all those arms, but practice makes perfect! I’m sure you can agree with that.”

“Can’t you go bother one of the other Negatives?” Okka asked, eyes buried in a book at her desk.

“Hmmmmph!” Akko’s cheeks puffed. “Anyway, I bet it was nothing compared to what you can do. You must be a monster at magic!”

“Magitech, I think you mean. If you couldn’t tell, Vetus Solem abandoned the traditional ways long ago. Technology is the way of the future. Sigh, and besides, even if it weren’t, I never wanted to come here. My parents forced me to because they thought I was too lazy. And they said if I flunked, they would kick me out onto the streets. I had to force myself to learn magitech, and even though I developed a talent with it, it still feels empty inside. That’s partly why I joined the DNK. So I would have a home to go to in case that does happen.”

“I’m sorry to hear that… but you know, there’s lots of fun to be had when you’re in a magic school! How about I give you a taste of some old-school magic? With my own little touches added to it, of course.” Akko grinned wryly.

“No thank you. If I don’t enjoy modern magic, why would I ever enjoy your ancient parlor tricks?”

“Hee hee hee!” Akko drew her wand and flicked it, transforming in a heartbeat. She landed on Okka’s desk, now in the form of a blue frog with peacock feathers. “Gero!” She flashed the feathers, glowing neon.

“AAAH!” Okka fell out of her chair, terrified by the sight. “You’re not… human!”

“No, I am human! But I’m also,” she hopped and changed into, “a porcu-parrot!” She had spiked red feathers. “A hipporaff!” She became a hippo with a long neck. “And a tickle-pillar!” She became a light-red snake-sized caterpillar and crawled into Okka’s clothes.

“Stop it! What are you doing?! G-Get out of—ah hahahahahahaha!” Akko was crawling around her armpits and tickling her with tiny legs. She hopped out the collar and changed back.

“Good, now that I got you riled up, it’s time for the main course! What? Why is my foot a hoof?” Her right leg was that of a white horse. “What’s this in my butt?” She turned and slouched over, seeing a chimp tail with a flower on it. “I’m feeling a little lightheaded.” Her head inflated like a puffer-fish, rising to the ceiling before POPPING! _“Ha hee! Now I’m a rainbow BEE!”_ She buzzed around Okka’s head, leaving a rainbowy trail. “And I can be a manta too, ya see?” She became a sparkly pink manta, except her shiny smile took up the underside of her body.

“Ah hahahahaha! Ha ha ha ha! Y-You’re so ridiculous, I can’t stand it!”

“And I won’t let you stand it!” Akko became a snake, rolling around like a wheel, and when she unraveled, her face only had eyes, while her mouth stretched along her body. “Because that’s how we roll!”

**School bathroom**

Constanze continued sobbing in the bathroom. Her Negative was everything she feared she would be, so peppy and speaking her heart out. The way they were bragging about her name… this entire world only existed to taunt Constanze. So many names that were hard to pronounce, and she had the longest name in her school. She thought an all-tech school would be a paradise, but in truth it was a nightmare.

Someone knocked on her stall. “Are you in there?” The professor from the Old Age Magic class opened the door. “I don’t think we were properly introduced. I’m Professor Xiorc. And I believe your name is Constanze, right?”

“Mmm.” She nodded.

“There, there.” Xiorc brought her in and hugged her. “I understand. You have trouble speaking. Our backwards names come naturally to us, but pronouncing them frontwards is also easy for us. But Positives cannot pronounce the Negative names as well. I may not understand how you feel, but I can relate to your plight. As a witch trying to teach old magic to modern-day magitists, I know how it feels being an outcast.”

“Mmm…”

“Do you like to draw pictures, Constanze? I find that if I draw pictures of my favorite things, I start to feel better about my own woes.”

“…” Constanze got her mini chalkboard from her Infi-Cube. She drew a picture of a Stanbot and a wrench. “You like to build machines as well. I suppose that contrasts with your opposite okay.” She then erased it and drew two stars, circles around them, and a wide smile. “And who is this?”

“…Akko…”

_“Well, Constanze, I’m glad you told me.” Akko replied with a friendly smile. “And I like hearing you speak.”_

“She must be a friend of yours.” Xiorc assumed. “Well, Constanze, perhaps you should return to your friends. I know that a magitist like yourself would feel at home here, but it’s no substitute for friends you feel comfortable around.”

“Hmm…” Constanze smiled and gave the teacher a hug. Xiorc returned the hug. She was happy to meet a magitist who wasn’t as sour as the rest of them.

**Somewhere in the forest**

“G-G-G-Ghosts.” Ettol shuddered, hiding in a small hole covered by a hatch. “In my game. Ghosts… in my game. Ghosts in my game!”

“Ettol?” Lotte peeped the hatch open.

“GHOSTS IN MY GAAAAME!”

“Ettol, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“SORRY?! There’s a ghost haunting my favorite game and you’re SORRY?!”

“But the game isn’t haunted! All objects have spirits inside of them.”

“There are ghosts inside EVERYTHING?!”

“Yes. You see, my family has the ability to talk to these spirits. We believe—huh?”

Ettol had loaded a gun. “Farewell, cruel world.” She cocked it to her head.

“GYAAAAAAHH! Ettol, stop!” Lotte cast a spell to turn it into a candycane. “Please don’t kill yourself! Why are you so afraid of ghosts, anyway?!”

“B-B-Because a ghost killed my grandpa! Strangled him to death!”

“Oh… I’m sorry.” _My own grandpa died of sickness. He was happy that he could be with the spirits._ “But Ettol, I’m sure that was just an evil spirit. It’s no different from a living criminal. The fact is, objects have souls just the same as people do. And sometimes, that soul is strengthened by the bond we share with it. Here, see for yourself.” Lotte showed her the game disk.

“EEEEK!” Ettol went pale.

“No, trust me. La la la… la la la…” Slowly, the spirit of Oiram revealed itself, staring up at Ettol. “Go on, Ettol… say ‘hi’ to him.”

“. . . H-h-h-h…hi, Oiram.”

_“Let’s-a stay!”_

“He says ‘hello.’”

“…” Ettol formed a small smile and reached down to pet him. “It…It’s nice… to meet you…”

_“F*** you so much for playing my game.”_

“Hehehe.” Lotte giggled.

**Mecha Mayhem; waiting room**

“YEEEAAAH! That was AWESOME!” The super sisters high-fived one-another. “Let’s go one more round!” Arabrab said.

“NO WAY!” Barbara shouted. “In fact, we never want you to do that again!”

“Yeah!” Hannah agreed. “It’s a wonder our lives are always in danger! Because you keep risking your own!”

“But you two are Kids Next Door operatives.” Nega-Hannah replied. “You’re supposed to risk your lives, aren’t you? It’s no different from us.”

“Yes it is!” Barbara argued. “We don’t ENJOY risking our lives, we do it to help people! But you guys are just in it for the thrill, and if you keep doing it, you’ll get killed, and what’ll that mean for us?!”

“Exactly! So stop with this silly Mecha Mayhem nonsense! It’s not just YOUR lives you’re risking, it’s OURS, and we don’t feel like dying!”

The two fighters exchanged guilty glances. “Well… our job as DNK operatives is to protect kids, not endanger them.” Arabrab said. “If it really upsets you, we won’t do this, anymore.”

“Well… good.” Hannah replied, still scowling.

“Well… I guess we’ll take you back to our treehouse now.” Nega-Hannah figured.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

**Anaid’s Room**

Diana was wearing a welding mask as she was using a blowtorch on the ray gun. She stopped and asked, “Is this enough?”

“Yeah, that should be it. But I’m not sure, though…”

“Let’s test it out.” Diana aimed the ray gun at one of the Okka bobble heads and enlarged it. “It seems to work. I guess I’ll try it on you now.”

“But what if something bad happens? You’ll die, won’t you?”

“Well, something will have to coincidentally kill me. Besides, I followed your instructions to the last detail. You should be able to determine if it is in working order.”

“Y-Yes. It looks good from where I’m standing.”

Diana smiled. “Then I think we’re ready.” Anaid returned the smile. She stood still as Diana fired the ray, and her Negative sprouted to normal size in a flash.

“Waaaah! It worked! Everything looks tinier now!”

“Just as things should be.” Diana replied, approaching her with a proud smile. “You know, I may not know a thing about technology, but I do know that most size-changing magic or devices must have time limits. For you to have made a shrink ray that lasted as long as yours, it shows you have potential. You just have to have more faith in yourself.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re amazing, Diana, I can tell. I bet Okka’s Positive worships you instead of the other way around.”

“Hm hm, you couldn’t be more wrong about that. Actually… I guess I kind of admire Akko as well.”

**Treehouse bathroom**

Once everyone had returned, both sectors were gathered in a restroom. “If I am correct, this mirror should connect with one in your own base.” Okka said. “You may use it to return. Before you go, however… I must admit that your visit was entertaining, Atsuko. If traditional mages are as baffling as you are, perhaps I will find them amusing.”

“And maybe you’ll wanna try it yourself.” She winked. “Hehehe! See you on the other side!” She happily jumped into the mirror.

“Remember what I told you, Anaid.” Diana said. “If you work hard and become great, soon other people will admire you. You might like how it feels.”

“Hehehe!” Anaid waved as her opposite climbed in the mirror.

“Need some help, Conse?” Esnoc asked with a grin. The short witch glared at her before climbing up on the sink and going in. Adnama glared at her Positive, bruised and covered with soot, but Amanda passed her a wry smile before bidding farewell.

“Thank you for the lesson, Aknimsaj.” Jasminka smiled. “I’ll try to go as long as I can without eating.” She climbed up—and severed the sink counter from the wall. “Hehe. Oops.” Then she climbed in the mirror. Hannah cast a spell to restore the sink. Lotte climbed in, Sucy bounced off her Negative’s belly, and Hannah and Barbara shared one more disgruntled look with their upset Negatives before climbing in last.

**Luna Nova Sports Field**

The Nine Witches laid a picnic blanket under the shade of a tree, enjoying the fresh, magic-filled air and sunlight. “You know, team, there’s only one lesson to be learned from the Negaverse.” Akko began, munching on her sandwich. “Everyone there is either a jerk or has no motivation.” she said through chews, much to Diana’s disgust.

“I don’t agree with that.” Lotte said. “Sector VS has their own problems, just like we do. Still, when you meet someone who’s the very opposite of you… it kind of makes you appreciate yourself more, doesn’t it?”

“You bet it does.” Amanda agreed.

“No doubt.” followed Sucy.

“It certainly makes you appreciate how things turned out in the end.” Diana said, calmly drinking tea. “You know, Akko… you may believe you are behind the rest of us… but ever since we met, I feel as if you’ve taught us as much as we’ve taught you. That’s partly why I’ve been agreeing with your decisions lately. I’m just… so curious what you’re going to surprise us with next.” Diana cracked a smile.

“Hehehehe! Wow, I’m actually a teacher to Diana!” Akko’s grin was as white as snow. “We really ARE in Opposite Land!”

“Yeah, but we were Diana’s best friends first.” Hannah remarked. “I’m sure there was a TON she learned from us, am I right?”

“Well, I sure learned that the safest place to hide is behind my skirt.” Diana chortled, smirking slightly.

“. . . . .” The statement didn’t spark amusement. Hannah and Barbara were actually hurt by it. “Are…Are you serious?”

“Do you really think we’re cowards?” Barbara followed.

“Well… I never really minded, actually. After all, you wouldn’t be the only students in need of my help.”

“Uh-!” Barbara choked in her own shock. “C-Come on, Diana! If _you’re_ the top student, that should at least make us 2nd best!”

“You are better than other students I’ve seen… although, whenever we do projects, I seem to recall doing most of the work.”

“Y-Yeah, but we’re still better at magic than these guys, right?!” Hannah asked.

“Uh, feelings!” Amanda retorted.

“Hmm… if I’m being honest, these six have bested quite a handful of monsters. Even Akko.”

“B-But…” Hannah couldn’t think of an argument. To think that Diana, their leader and best friend, was comparing them to their former enemies in such a way.

“Sigh… I’m eating over here.” Barbara stood, took her food, and walked away.

“Me, too.” Hannah joined her. Diana was left confused by their behavior.

“Boy, Diana, you really know how to make people hate you.” Amanda remarked.

“Ah, they’ll come back.” Akko shrugged off. “I always thought they were more sensitive than they looked.”

“Hmm…” Diana looked in their direction with slight guilt. She doesn’t recall ever angering those two before. “Sigh, having a larger circle of friends can be a pain sometimes.”

 

**Esnoc was meant to resemble Dee-Dee from _Dexter’s Lab_ , while Constanze herself resembles Dexter. In fact, Akko herself was meant to resemble Dee-Dee in that regard. XD So next chapter will be about Hannah-Barbara!**


	5. That Ever Slight Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannah and Barbara reflect on how Akko has affected Diana.

**Now the _Ni no Kuni II_ characters start rolling in!**

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Chapter 5: That Ever Slight Smile

_**

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**Sector LN**

“Metamorphie Faciesse!” Akko shouted, eyes shut tight. “Huuuurrrr!”

“I can’t believe you’re actually trying wandless magic.” Amanda remarked, waving her own wand as chips floated in circles above Jasminka’s head. The Russian witch remained still and refused to eat them.

“Sigh… I can’t either.” Akko rubbed her forehead. “How can anyone learn wandless magic, it’s impossible.”

“It’s not really.” Lotte corrected. “You see, Akko, mages like us have each found a wand that chose us as its master. When a wizard finds a suitable wand, they will be able to use any other wand they come across. But you’ll find that some wizards just aren’t able to find a good wand, and so they’re left with no other option but to use their bodies to harness magic. To name an example, the dark wizard Voldemort was able to fly without a broom.”

“Our magic is a composition of numerous natural chis mixed into our bodies.” Diana continued. “Because of its disorganized nature, it’s very difficult for us to control it with our bodies. That’s why we use wands to begin with. Even I haven’t reached that level.”

“Then let’s have a race!” Akko fist-bumped. “Diana, let’s head outside and train as hard as we can! The first person to perform a wandless spell has to order the other person to do something embarrassing! You on, Diana?”

“…Hm.” Diana smirked, brushing her hair back. “Well, I’m not about to let you upstage me.”

“Say, where did Hannah and Barb run off to, anyway?” Sucy asked, tending to her mushrooms.

“Barb texted me and said they went for a walk in the Forest of Niall.” Lotte answered. “They’ll be back soon.”

**Forest of Niall**

Niall was a beautiful forest that was home to aquatic creatures that floated about in the air, from yellow jellyfish that looked like ghostly lanterns, blue anchovies that looked like bundles of fairies, and pink snails that left trails on trees with their glowing slime. These creatures would only appear from twilight until dawn.

Barbara Parker had donned a glowing yellow dress with frills, posing in front of the jellyfish as though she were one of them. “So, Hannah, how do I look?”

“Positively amazing!” Hannah beamed, saving the memory into her camera. She was wearing a red top with a rose collar and a pink flower skirt. “You were right, Barbara, I’m getting so much inspiration from this place, I can’t bear it! Just imagine, shock-proof jelly dresses, a slime-secreting cloak for Sucy, and Lotte looks great in anything that glows! Say, what do you think Diana would…”

Hannah stopped herself, the hurt rising back in her heart. Barbara’s expression told her that she felt the same. “How about we just enjoy our walk for now?” the dark-haired asked.

“Yes…” Putting their feelings aside, the two resumed their walk through the forest.

Gigantic branches stretched and curved around parts of the forest, serving as natural pathways for the girls to explore. “You know something, Hannah?” Barbara asked, smiling as she was collecting flowers. “Since we’re Kids Next Door operatives, that means we can practically go anywhere in the universe! And I’ve always wanted to go to the Steam Gardens on Planet Flora!”

“Steam Gardens?”

“They’re gigantic greenhouses built for preserving and caring for plant life. It isn’t just Flora, but other planets have them, too. And hey, didn’t _you_ say you wanted to visit Planet Yarn?”

“Oh, yeah, I did, didn’t I?”

“We could totally pay a visit there, too. Ooo, Hannah, check it out!” Barbara jogged up a sloping branch, a rather difficult task in high heels, but she managed. “Do you see that giant cliff?!”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“It looks like a cliff, but it’s actually Mountwood! It’s one of the strongest materials on the planet! I would say universe, but that’s overdoing it, don’t ya think? Oh ho ho ho!”

“It certainly does look impressive. …” Hannah released an upset sigh. “Barbara, I’m sorry, but I just can’t stop thinking about what Diana said.”

“Well, what was the point of bringing you here if you weren’t gonna clear your mind?!”

“I know, but…but she never insults us. Especially not after complimenting _Akko_. It makes me so angry! I mean, we were her best friends WAY before Diana could stand to breathe the same air as her!”

“Yeah, but WE weren’t the ones who helped her shoot a missile down from the sky!”

“I-I know that…” Hannah felt a tug in her heart. “But…But we’re still her friends, right?”

Barbara faced down at the grass, glaring. “…Are we, Hannah?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hannah, why did we join the Kids Next Door in the first place?”

“Because… well, because Diana wanted to.”

“And why did Diana want to? Why, when all she cared about were her grades and school work before?”

“Because…” Hannah bowed her head. The answer was all too obvious. “Because Akko wanted to join.”

**One year ago…**

“Oh my gosh!” Hannah exclaimed, her and Barbara gaping. “Y-You’re… Diana Cavendish!”

“We read all about you!” Barbara followed, eyes sparkling. “You’re more beautiful in real life!”

“Thank you, I’m flattered.” Diana replied, brushing her hair back. “I don’t believe I’m familiar with you two, however…”

“Oh, I’m Hannah – Hannah England. This is Barbara Parker.”

“So, anyway,” Barbara began sheepishly, “since we were lucky enough to meet you like this… and, well, given that students need to be in groups of three… Uh, do you think we could be your team?”

“Unless you already have partners!” Hannah said quickly. “We don’t mean to impose or anything, y-yeah.”

“I don’t see why we couldn’t. Very well, I’ll accept you as my partners.”

“AAAAAAAHHH!” They were beyond joyous. “Oh, Diana, thank you so much, this is such an honor!” Both girls bowed.

“We promise you won’t regret it!” Barbara finished.

“A-Alright, girls, take it easy. I’m human just like you two.”

…

“Boy, Diana, can you believe they let a clown like Atsuko in this school?” Hannah asked as they were washing hands in the restroom.

“She got written up three times yesterday.” Barbara followed with a haughty smile. “I get that we’re having budget problems, but Muggle-borns like Atsuko are only gonna make things worse.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Diana replied with a huff. “She has no respect for our customs or our heritage. But if she doesn’t at least learn to behave, she’ll have no hope here.”

“Metamorphie Faciesse!” Akko waved her wand, praying that her spell would work this time, but nothing changed aside from new bulging eyes. “Cribbit!”

“Poor Atsuko.” Diana sighed with sarcasm. “Perhaps you need someone to hold your hand. Would this help?” She tapped Akko with her wand, changing her into a toad in an instant.

As the students engaged in laugher, Hannah planted a foot on the toad. “Hey, Diana was kind enough to help you, the least you can do is bow.”

_“Get off of me, you stupid croak! I’ll get you for this, Diana! Ribbit!”_

During a Dungeon Explorer session, Hannah and Barbara cowered behind Diana as they were faced against a giant mushroom monster. “INCENDIO!” Diana cast a powerful flame spell and burned the beast to cinders. “Not too difficult. Plants are weak against fire, after all.”

“Yeah, but only YOU could pull it off so perfectly, Diana!” Barbara exclaimed.

Of course, months passed and several events took place. Developments were sparked in certain students. “I can’t believe Kagari ruined the festival like that.” Hannah scoffed, showing disgust. “They HAVE to expel her now, they just GOTTA!”

“To be honest, she kind of took me by surprise.” Diana said. “The way she was transforming like that… I never thought she was capable of such skill.”

“Come on, Diana, that act was ridiculous!” Barbara shouted. “She humiliated herself AND Luna Nova!”

“Well, I’m sorry if you feel that way… but I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that.” She cracked a smile even now. Her friends were royally baffled.

Sometime later, they received terrible news: “What do you mean you’re leaving?!” Hannah shouted.

“It can’t be true! Tell me you’re joking, Diana!”

“I’m sorry, girls… but my mother has passed away. It’s time for me to become the head of the House of Cavendish. I won’t be able to continue my education here. …I’m going to miss you two.” She hugged her friends.

Hannah and Barbara had been sobbing ever since. Without Diana, they realized they were nothing. None of the other students admired them like they did her. They were merely two girls who followed Diana around. Their lives were empty without her.

But then, before their very eyes, a familiar presence approached them: “D…Diana?!”

“Hello, girls!” she greeted with a sweet smile.

“Y-You’re back! Did you forget something?!” asked Hannah.

“No, I… decided to come back.”

“Diana!” Barbara cried, both hugging her fondly. “Did you miss us that much?!”

“Well, yes… but I have Atsuko to thank for my decision.”

They released her, shocked by the statement. “A…Atsuko?”

“Yes. She…She saved my life.”

That’s when everything started going downhill. As far as they were concerned, anyway. Diana began to sit at Akko’s table more often at lunch. Diana showed disgust at Akko’s undignified manner of eating, a fact that Akko acknowledged as she would open her mouth and expose the half-chewed food inside. Diana responded by casting a spell to seal Akko’s mouth with a zipper.

Sometimes, Akko would ambush Diana in the hallway; a frog landing on her head, a giant spider with a monkey’s tail, or a rhino with a clown nose and polka-dots. Hannah and Barb would cower behind Diana, who would only show anger and annoyance for her “misuse of magic.”

But whenever Akko was no longer around to see her, even as Diana buried her eyes in a book, she had the warmest smile. They’ve never seen her smile this much, not from reading, not from her own two friends, and it wasn’t even a proud or arrogant smile. In the past, Diana would always show irritation for Akko’s antics, but now it was no secret that Akko made her happy. More happy than Hannah or Barbara ever made her. And if they wanted to keep being Diana’s friends, they had no other choice:

“Today’s the day, team!” Akko announced to her friends. “Today, we join the Kids Next Door! ARE YA READY?!”

“Akko, you know we have to go through training first, don’t you?” Diana sighed.

“Yeah, but we’ll pass that in a heartbeat. After all, we’re the best Luna Nova has to offer! So, you better get excited if you want any hope of passing!”

“Hm hm hm. As if I will let you pass before I do.” Diana smirked.

…

“Hey, did you guys hear?!” Akko exclaimed. “The Kids Next Doors are having a Field Day on Aquaria! We HAVE to join them!”

“Akko, I think they’re only holding that in honor of the Earth operatives.” Lotte replied. “I’m not sure if we would be welcome. And even if we were, those guys are going to get all the attention.”

“Who cares about that?! We get to have some fun, show ourselves off, and we’ll get to see how other KNDs do things! C’mon, Diana, we have to! Pleeeeaaaaase?”

No one could say ‘no’ to a face like that: not even Diana. “Hmm, well a bit of recreation never hurts. Very well… just please do not do something to humiliate us, Akko.”

“Come on, Diana. ‘Humiliation’ is my middle name! And THAT’S why we’re gonna be the STARS!”

“Hm hm…” Diana cracked the lightest chuckle.

…

“Hey, Barbara, have you ever heard about the Rukh?” Lotte asked while holding a book.

“The Ruke?”

“No, Rukh. According to legend, they’re invisible butterfly spirits who only gather around certain people. It says that there are some people in the universe who are said to emit very pleasant and warm auras. And the longer you were around one of these people, you would want to follow them more and more. This is because the Rukh are attracted to their aura. Those Rukh would land on you, and they would secretly make you attracted to that aura.”

“So, like… do you _know_ any person like that?”

“Not exactly… but if we did, I wonder if I could see the Rukh with my Ghost Whispering? I guess first I would have to find out what kind of person they would be.”

…

“Hurry up, girls!” Akko cheered, skipping merrily. “Last one to the Butterbeer Tower gets the bottom of the barrel!”

“Honestly, where does that girl get all her energy?” Diana sighed, the eight witches keeping up at a much slower pace. However, Han and Barb couldn’t help but notice Diana’s feet moved faster than theirs, as if she were determined to catch up to Akko. And as she faced Akko’s direction, she had that ever slight smile.

**Currently**

Officially, Diana was their Sector Leader. She had the proud and strict aura of a leader, and they all followed her orders. She disciplined Akko whenever the need called for it… but the fact was, no one in their team was following Diana. They were following Akko. Diana was following Akko. And after everything that’s happened, it was no surprise that Diana would want to be around her, while still upholding the guise of a superior and more sophisticated witch. It was no wonder that Diana would look down on the two of them.

 _“GROWLLLLL!”_ A deafening roar broke them out of their thoughts, and they faced up at the top of the Mountwood to see a giant white gorilla with huge fangs. The gorilla leapt down and CRASHED before the girls, pounding its chest. Han and Barb fell on their behinds, scooting back in total fear.

“WHOOOAA, easy there, tiger!” The beast was tamed by a teenage girl on its back. She had messy pinkish-red hair in large pigtails, tied by leaf braids, green eyes, white claw-mark makeup, and wore a green and orange dress with leaf designs and green open-toed boots. “Don’t tear them apart before I have a chance to examine ’em first.”

“He-e-e-e-e-e-e…” The duo were shaking in the knees, hugging each other.

“Judging by the fancy getup, I take it you’re rich girls. Probably with those ‘Totally Spies.’ Let’s see now…” The girl put on a purple eyepiece, which projected a star design that locked onto the witches. It scanned Hannah as numbers were calculating. “ _Your_ Power Level is 1,524.” She then scanned Barbara. “And YOUR Power Level is 1,418. Hm, that’s not bad.” She smiled knowingly. “But MY Level is 3,040. And that’s not factoring in THIS bad boy! Alright, sick them!”

 _“GROOOOWL!”_ The beast raised its fists and smashed down, but Hannah and Barbara had already bolted down the branches. “What?!” The girl realized that her pet’s hands were glued to the ground. “Is that sap?! Resourceful little buggers!” She waved her hand and willed the sap to detach.

The girls were forced to carry their high-heels in order to run faster. “I don’t know how long that sap will hold him.” Barb panted. “Let’s get our brooms and esca-”

The gorilla crashed in front of them and severed the branch. “AAAAHHH!” They all took the fall, but there was ground below to save them. Hannah quickly got on her feet and cast “REDUCIO!” to shrink the gorilla down to size. However, the forest girl had leapt high in the air, pulling back a large bow and loosing a Haki-imbued arrow between the witches. The force caused a small explosion that blew them apart, and once the girl landed, she waved her arms and wrapped the duo up in vines from the ground.

“You’re a plantbender?!” Barbara realized.

“Glad you noticed!” The girl then turned as her steed grew back to normal size. “Didn’t think that would hold on you. Orright, big guy, let’s squash these spies into paste! WHOA!” The gorilla fell over when a laser shot down at them.

“So, this is where you ran to, Forest Princess.” They all faced up to see a blonde girl in a red jumpsuit on a hover pad. “You’re gonna pay for messing up Grunty’s operations! And considering how cheap that dress looks, I hope you have money to spare.”

“What is this, the Firstborn Saga?” Barbara asked, disgusted by that line.

“I’ve got your friends captive, Clover! If you wanna see them alive, you better back off!” The girl grit her teeth.

“Uh, and why would I be friends with THOSE weirdoes? Heck, all three of you smell like yucky forest jelly! Too bad you aren’t going to the juice factory!” Clover shot more lasers from her vehicle, the forest girl dodging and shooting arrows up.

Barbara used her wand to unravel the vines binding them. “Protego!” The girls whipped up a shield when Clover shot a laser at them. “Reducto!” Afterwards, they destroyed the hovercraft with an explosive spell.

“WAAAAH!” Clover activated a jetpack and took off. “Man, dealing with you alone is a pain! Time to call for backup!”

“You better GET YOUR ARSE out of this forest!” shouted the forest girl. “Ugh… blimey, I hate to say it, but I guess Oi owe you two. A little bit, eh?”

“I would hope so.” Hannah folded her arms. “For your information, we’re Kids Next Door operatives.”

“Oh, is that roight? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“You attacked us!”

“Hee hee hee! Well, my name’s Tani! And I’m the vice-captain of the Cloudcoil Pirates.”

“A pirate, huh?” Barbara cocked a brow. “No wonder you talk like Sheila.”

Tani blinked. “YOU TWO KNOW SHEILA FRANTIC?!” Her eyes shone like suns.

“Uhh-h-h-h…” The duo were baffled, speaking in monotone: _“We might have met.”_

“Oh my gosh, I am SUCH a huge fan of Sunny-Fist Sheila!” Tani twirled around, imagining the proud raccoon posing against the sun with a grin. “She gets mentioned all the time on Pirate T.V. and the KND’s websites! A scrappy young pirate with a strong will and Australian accent! She’s just SO relatable!”

_“And we thought we were fangirls.”_

“So, are you really a Forest Princess like that girl said?” Barb asked.

“No, it was just a quirky nickname. Though, come to think of it, I was proposed to by a king once.” Tani smirked.

“Hold on!” Hannah spoke. “What did that girl say about Grunty’s operation?”

“Oh, that. A bunch of goons that work for Grunty Industries are chopping trees down in the forest. My captain sent me to put a stop to them, but I had no idea Grunty hired the Totally Spies.”

 _“The who?”_ they chorused.

“They’re these stuck-up spy girls from Aquaria or something. Heard they’re some of the richest people in Galaxia. Anyway, Oi can handle them. You lot oughta head home in case it gets messy.” Tani hopped onto her steed. “Toodle-oo!” The gorilla made a great jump across the forest.

“Sigh… it is getting a bit late.” Hannah said.

“…” Barbara furrowed her eyes. “Hold on, we can’t just leave! If a mission falls in our laps, we have to take it!”

“But… shouldn’t we call the others?”

“…No.” Barbara balled a fist and faced up determinedly. “We’re not cowards, Hannah. We can do this ourselves. …And with Tani’s help, but more importantly, we need to make Diana respect us again.”

“…Yeah. You’re right.” Hannah shared her expression. “Let’s do it!”

**Luna Nova Sports Field; nighttime**

“Metamorphie Faciesse!” Akko called, clapping hands and shutting her eyes.

“Aguamenti!” Diana called, throwing arms forward.

Both girls had been uttering their spells over and over, trying their hardest to muster their own energy. “Huff, huff, I didn’t think wandless magic would be this difficult.” Diana gasped.

“You should take your shoes off, Diana. That’s what I do.” She raised her left foot for emphasis.

“That might be how you were raised, Country Girl, but such a vile demeanor would attract disease.”

“First of all, I’m not a country girl, I grew up in an apartment. Second of all, Wendy tells me that this is a good way to bond with nature. It’s what all benders do, and using our bodies is basically bending. Besides, you can’t be a strong witch if you’re too afraid to get scars, ya see?” She indicated the scar on her foot.

“Sigh… maybe you’re right.” Diana sat down and pulled off her shoes and socks. She stretched her toes out and let the grass stick up between them. “Hmm… there is a pleasant feeling to it. Perhaps feeling the moisture would help me imagine the water better.”

“That’s the spirit! Now then… Metamorphie Faciesse!” The girls resumed training, repeating their words every two seconds. It became confusing when they were speaking at the same time, causing Akko to say “Metamorphiementi!” at some points.

Eventually, both girls collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. “I can’t believe I’m breaking a sweat.” Diana huffed.

“Maybe the water’s just coming out in the wrong place.” Akko grinned.

“Oh, shut up.”

“What are you girls up to?” In their upside-down view, Professor Ursula was approaching them. “Haven’t had enough exercise this morning?”

“Hey, Professor Ursula!” Akko rolled on her front. “We were practicing wandless magic!”

“Wandless magic? Hm-hm, that’s quite a big step. Having any luck?”

“Unfortunately, we find it a bit more difficult than we had hoped.” Diana answered.

“Professor, can you do wandless magic?!”

“Not really.” Ursula blushed. “Typically, wandless magic involves a lot of physical training. However, if you really want to get good at it, you should visit the Majin Tribe.”

“Majin Tribe?”

“They’re a tribe of genie-like creatures who live in the skies above the desert country, Sindria.” Diana responded. “They contain powerful magic, which they use only with their bodies.”

“Then we should totally go visit them!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I heard that the Majins can be rather dangerous when provoked.”

“Come on, Diana.”

“We can train on our own just fine, Akko. At any rate… I’m starting to get worried about Hannah and Barbara. Professor Ursula, I know it’s late, but we must go search for them.”

“Of course, do whatever you need to do.” the teacher replied with a smile. “Just be sure to come back safely.”

**Forest of Niall**

Gruntilda’s Gruntlings were marching around thick trees, using energy saws to steadily cut them down and load them onto trucks. Two more Totally Spies, an orange-haired girl in a green jumpsuit, and a black-haired in a yellow suit, were hovering around on jetpacks. “Look, Alex, there’s Clover!” said Sam, the orange-haired.

“IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME!” yelled a fourth spy, Mandy, who had blackish-blue hair and a magenta suit. “Did you finally trash that little tramp?!”

“Geez, pottymouth, much? Anyway, I was about to get her, but she had these two other girls with her, and they totally blew up my new hoverpad!”

“That’s totally lame!” Alex shouted. “But don’t worry, we’ll just buy a new one!”

“I just love being filthy rich! It goes great with being super beautiful!”

“Don’t forget, super smart.” Sam tapped a finger to her head.

“And I’m an athlete!” Alex said.

“Sounds like an engaging conversation!” The spies gasped, seeing a gorilla prancing their direction. “But I’m afraid the fun’s over!” Tani declared.

“Grrrr!” Clover growled. “I swear, if I get gorilla breath on me, I am SUING the forest people. Get her, girls!” The spies flew at the pirate, swinging Tempest Kicks to try and slice the ape from afar.

The gorilla performed a great leap to dodge, flying to a truck and smashing the driver’s seat. The spies were too distracted to see Tani above them, launching three Haki arrows to strike them. “AH! Hey, that was totally cheap!” Sam yelled.

“And you’re totally annoying!” Tani landed on the ground, but the spies quickly surrounded her and prepared to fight.

“KYAH!” cried Clover when lightning struck her from above.

“Don’t start without us!” Hannah yelled, her wand sparking.

“Hehe, well by all means, feel free to help.” Tani grinned, swinging her spear to knock Alex and Sam off their feet. The pirate jabbed the spear at Sam, who was quick to avoid before stamping her sharp heel at Tani’s stomach.

“Well, don’t just STAND there, you idiots!” Mandy shouted at the Gruntlings. “Shoot those witches or this operation’s a bust!” The minions all drew guns and shot energy bullets, but Han conjured a shield to protect them both while Barbara threw three seeds down. Those seeds grew into giant Piranha Plants that began devouring the Gruntlings whole.

“Aguamenti!” The witches rained water over the spies, drenching them from head to toe.

“Uck! You are, like, SO lucky these suits are waterproof!” Clover shouted. “I got a hundred boys lined up for me, and I don’t need any rashes!”

“GLACIUS!” The duo cast ice spells to freeze the three in place.

“Nice job!” Tani praised. “I guess it was lucky to run into you!” She then ran toward the Gruntlings and began cutting them down with her spear.

“F-f-f-f-f…” Clover stuttered. “If I stay like this any longer, the suit will fuse to my skin. My modeling career will be over!”

“I have an idea!” Sam said. “If we focus enough chi to our feet, we’ll be able to will our bodies to perform stationary Shaves. The kinetic energy will build up enough body heat and thereby melt the ice off our bodies! And the best part is, no one will notice our sweat through all this melted ice.”

“Of course! Because ice melts when it’s too hot!” Alex realized. “Wow, Sammy, I knew you were smart, but they have to put you in _Scientists Weekly_ if you keep that up!”

“Well, I do look pretty in glasses! Okay, let’s do it-”

“Stupefy. Stupefy.” The witches cast Stun Spells to make their bodies even more stiff. “You know, for these three to be successful as spies, they would have to face some pretty incompetent villains.” Hannah said.

“Hehe, this might actually be easier than we thou-”

Before Barbara could finish, Mandy used Shave to zip behind them. “Like, Finger Pistol!” She crossed arms and impaled both girls in the hip. As they clasped their wounds, Mandy jumped and stamped the backs of their heads with her heels. Now bleeding from two areas, Han and Barb could only lay in exhaust.

Tani’s Scouter examined the fourth spy. “10,240?! Crikey, why is HERS so much bigger than the other three?!”

“Look, luh-oser, I don’t come to a smelly forest like this out of pleasure.” Mandy stated in a haughty tone. “I came here on a job, to make MONEH.” She planted her heel on Hannah’s back. “And _money_ is for spysassins ONLEH.”

 _“GROOOOWL!”_ The gorilla flew forth, threatening to squash Mandy regardless of Han and Barb’s safety, so the spy jumped to his height and perfectly severed his lower and upper halves, the ape falling dead on the ground. The witches viewed the sight with horror.

Mandy landed and set her sights on Tani. Still fearing her Power Level, the pirate kept a distance and shot arrows, but the arrows were grabbed by Mandy’s own living hair. “Your hair can move on its own?!”

“It’s a nifty little trick called Life Return. Not that YOU deserve to know!” Mandy jabbed her hair strands at the pirate, shooting Hair Pistols that Tani blocked with her spear. Sadly, the spy Shaved behind her and KICKED the side of her head. Once she was down, Mandy pinned her heel on her head. “Any last words before I kill ya, you tramp?”

“Grrrrr!” Tani grabbed her foot and used every ounce of Haki to try and push her off. “I won’t die… I can’t! Not until…Not until I’ve saved him!”

“‘Saved him’?” Hannah repeated, wondering what she meant.

“Who, your boyfriend? Whoever he is, I’ll take care of him for ya! So long as he’s a cutie!”

“STUPEFY!” A spell flew at Mandy, but she was quick to react and avoid. Hannah fought the pain and the bleeding, forcing herself to stand up. “It sounds like someone is relying on her… so, you’ll have to get through us first!” She held up her camera and clicked on a picture of the gorilla, bringing to life a magic hologram of the beast. Mandy needed less strength to slice this illusion, but Barbara had thrown seeds at the spy that sprouted into spikeball plants.

“ACK!” Mandy cried, desperately shaking the Spike Puffs off, but the ones on her face caused it to swell.

“That’s the spirit!” Tani used her bending to grab the Spike Puffs and continue throwing them against Mandy, but the angered spy Shaved far away and shot Finger Pistols to destroy them. Afterwards, she used Life Return to will the swelling to shrink, but she was sent flying by a punch from another holographic gorilla.

“You don’t have a chance against the three of us!” Barbara declared. “AAAH!” As if on cue, both witches were hit by a bomb that burst into clay, inflating and ensnaring them.

“Never underestimate the science of kinetic energy.” Sam said with a wry smile, wagging her finger. The Stun Spell had worn off on them.

“So, are you girls up for a little blackmail?” Clover smirked, getting out some makeup.

“I dunno… I don’t feel so good.” Alex groaned, rubbing her forehead. “Like, I’m getting a super weird vibe in my brain…”

“Now that you mention it, me too…” Sam replied.

“Dammit! Chase’s power is wearing off on them already?!” Mandy observed. “Grrr, suck it up, girls, and just kill those bitches already!”

 _“Laaaaaa, la la, la, laaaaa la laaa…”_ A gentle tone flowed across the air, almost captivating their souls.

“That voice… it’s Lotte!” Barbara faced up, seeing their friends flying under a swirling, rainbow cloud.

 _“Laaaa, la la laaaa…”_ Diana was holding a magical megaphone to Lotte’s mouth so that her voice could be heard across the forest. Her spirit Will-o’-chan was ignited on the tip of her wand, and hundreds of spirits from across the forest were amassing around it. Those on land could only gape in awe, for the swirling cloud grew wider and wider.

“We don’t know who you are, but those two are our teammates!” Diana shouted. “As you can see, Lotte here is conjuring a Spirit Storm, and she will hit you with the force of hundreds of angry spirits unless you retreat!”

“THAT’S RIGHT!” Akko followed, riding Amanda’s broom. “We’re Sector LN of the Kids Next Door! And if our Spirit Storm doesn’t scare you, we bust powerful magic up the REAR!”

“The Kids Next DOOR?!” Mandy exclaimed. “Well, that certainly puts a shit in our plans. It’s time to go, you three!”

“Good idea!” Clover agreed, activating her jetpack. “I don’t want those witches to give me scales with their freaky magic. That would TOTALLY ruin my date tomorrow!”

 _“They’re so one-dimensional.”_ The Nine Witches sans Constanze chorused with dull expressions.

“Bye-bye!” Sam winked, taking off with her friends. “And whatever you do, PLEASE forget to write!”

Tani used her spear to get back on her feet, watching as Diana turned the clay into water and freed her friends. “The question is, who is this one?” Diana asked, indicating the pirate.

“Her name’s Tani. We were… helping her save the forest.” Hannah answered.

“And I’m grateful for the help.” Tani smiled. “Anyway, I’m afraid I must be off now. Toodle-oo.”

“Wait!” The two witches limped over with ecstatic expressions. “You were totally amazing!” Barbara said. “Are you in the Kids Next Door?”

“No, I’m a pirate from head to toe.”

“Then you should totally join!” Hannah suggested.

“First of all, drop the ‘totally.’ I don’t want those hags to infect you. And secondly, I can’t. I’m on my own little mission.”

“Oh, that’s right… Tani, you have to tell us. Who are you trying to save?”

“Sigh… I’m trying to save my king. His name is Evan. It’s kind of a long story…”

“Just remember the important part.” Hannah said, raising her wand. “I’ll use my magic to see your memories. If you… don’t mind us having a look.”

“Well, orright.” Tani closed her eyes and tried to remember that day.

“Memoria Bibendum!” Hannah cast the spell, and this caused a screen to project from Tani’s mind.

_King Evan stood upon the castle balcony and addressed his people. Legions of faithful citizens cheered for him: he who ruled Evermore and led the Union of Ni no Kuni. For a 14-year-old to accomplish this much was an amazing feat. And Tani was so honored to be able to stand beside him. It was an odd feeling, but being around Evan, it felt as if butterflies were fluttering over her heart. Tani must have been going cuckoo to think that. Still, who would have thought that a raggedy band of pirates such as her own could be a part of it?_

_And that’s when a shadow was cast over the kingdom. A tremendous galleon composed of alien technology loomed over their peaceful domain like a cloud of death. “QUICK! EVACUATE THE CITY!” Evan cried._

_“YOU HEARD HIM!” one of the guards yelled. “All citizens, EVACUATE!”_

_People were screaming and fleeing the town, but fortunately, the pirates only cared about storming the castle. Lasers fired down, blowing holes open as the pirates descended, and Evan and Tani did their best to cut the cutthroats down, sword and spear in hand. That was when a great gust of wind blew into the castle, taking the form of a dark-cloaked figure with silver hair and a red eye. “Wh-Who are you?!” Evan asked._

_“My name is Vaati of the Sky God Pirates, and I am here to put an end to your reign. Knowing you are a kind ruler, I will not kill you, but I must demand that you abolish your government and ensure true freedom to your citizens.”_

_“My citizens are already free! And in any case, I WON’T let you HURT THEM!” Evan swung his sword at his neck, but Vaati’s Logia wind body was unaffected._

_The wind mage grabbed Evan by the neck and soared outside. “EVAN!” Tani shouted, trying to chase them. However, an earthquake suddenly transpired, and the ceiling above Tani collapsed. “AAAAAH!”_

_“TANI!” Her father, Batu swooped by on an aircraft and grabbed her._

_As Vaati carried Evan outside, the king was horrified as his precious castle was demolished by a tremendous tornado. The symbol of his kingdom, pride of Evermore, was slowly crumbling under this raging wind. “This is the power of Emperor Skaios.” Vaati said. Within the cyclone was a bright blue glow, and Evan could see a tiny, shadowed figure in the center of it. “His wind blows with pure freedom, and soon it will sweep across the entire universe! If you refuse to accept freedom, King Evan… we must enforce it!” Vaati raised the Declaration of Interdependence, which bore the signatures of all the continent’s united kingdoms. The wizard burned the Declaration with a simple spell._

_“Mmm…ugh…” Light slowly returned to Tani’s eyes, and she found herself in her father’s arms. “D-Dad? What happened?”_

_“We couldn’t beat them, Tani. I had to get you away from there.”_

_Tani viewed across the fields, mouth agape as their castle was a crumbled shell of its former self. “W…Where’s Evan?”_

_“They took him, Tani. Took him aboard their ship. But don’t worry. I ’ave a plan to save him.”_

_“You…You think we should JOIN them?!” Tani shouted after hearing his proposal._

_“Only until we have a chance to save Evan! It’ll be fine, Tani; we’ll just make up a little fib and with any luck, they’ll let us be their allies. Now, do ya want to save Evan or don’t you?”_

_“…” Tani faced the kingdom with passion in her eyes. “Orright. Let’s do it, Dad.”_

“The Union of Ni no Kuni?” Diana asked. “Right… I know about the Evermore Incident. It was back in September. According to KND reports, there were no reported casualties. But the king had indeed been captured.”

“We spent who knows how long trying to help Evan create the perfect kingdom.” Tani spoke with anger. “And after all our hard work of building weapon shops and shrines, it all comes down in a day! It’s scum like that who make me ashamed to be a pirate! But one day, I’ll save him and we’ll all go back home. Even if I have to shoot Emperor Skaios in the head!”

Tani threw down a small capsule, which burst into an aircraft with propellers. “Anyway, it was nice to meet you. Hopefully you’ll get to visit Evermore one day. See ya!” She hopped on the craft and took off.

Sucy gave Han and Barb healing potion, repairing their wounds. “WHAT WERE YOU TWO DOING?!” Diana forcefully grabbed them by the ear. “If you were under attack, you should have called us!”

“We know!” Hannah wept from pain. “W-We just… we wanted to prove we weren’t cowards!”

“…” Feeling guilty, Diana let go. “Sigh, we’ll discuss this later. Let’s return to Luna Nova.”

Meanwhile, Mandy had returned to a spaceship in the woods, and had knocked out her three henchgirls. “It wore off on them, did it?” asked a man in dark-yellow armor and long black hair. “Still, given their vainness, it lasted a good long while.”

“Well, hit them again if you want me to keep working for Grunty! If I gotta be stuck with that hag, then so do they.”

“Very well.” With that, Chase Young whipped a lizard tongue at the three spies. They started awake as a purple aura brimmed in their eyes.

**Sector LN**

The other girls were up in Akko’s room for a slumber party. Meanwhile, Hannah and Barbara were sitting in the meeting room, bowing their heads and awaiting Diana’s scolding. However, rather than look on them with shame, Diana felt regret. “Hannah, Barbara, listen… I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“It’s okay, Diana.” Hannah replied. “In fact… do you remember what Tani said? How she wants to save her friend? Well, I realized something. I realized you’re always there for us, always there to help us. But we’re never there for you. Not the way that Akko was.”

“So, you were right.” Barbara followed. “We _are_ cowards. It’s no wonder you respect Akko more than us. We’ve never done anything to be deserving of your friendship.”

Diana released a sad, regretful sigh. “You two may not be as courageous as Akko, but I’ve always valued my friendship with you, and I could never favor either of you over the other.”

“Yeah, right.” Barbara remarked with a slight glare. “We see how you get around her lately.”

Diana blinked twice in bewilderment. She honestly didn’t know what they were talking about. Honestly. “Listen, this might sound rather petty… but whenever you two are around, praising me as you do… it makes me happy to know that all my hard work has paid off. And I felt as if I had to keep proving myself to you, or else you would be disappointed. So, in a way, you girls _have_ been helping me, because you kept me from slowing down.”

“Well, I appreciate that…” Barbara replied. “But when you put it like that, it makes us feel more like your _fans_ than your friends.”

“We wanna do more to help you, Diana. We wanna help you the same way Atsuko does. The same way real friends would.”

“Well, if you wish to get stronger, then I welcome that. But all I can really ask is that you’re around to support me. Even though it hasn’t seemed like it, you helped me more than you think.” Diana bent down and hugged her friends. “You gave me a reason to keep trying and you kept me from feeling lonely. I don’t mind that you rely on me in the face of stronger enemies, but if I were truly in need of your help, I know I can count on you to help me.”

Hannah and Barbara smiled and embraced their leader. Unbeknownst to them, a little orange mouse with red eyes watched them from the entrance, smiling at their tender moment.

 

**Featuring _Ni no Kuni_ ’s Tani and the girls from _Totally Spies_! (Geez, it’s gonna be super confusing now that there are TWO Mandys, both of whom are evil. What’s funny is I know a little girl named Mandy, and she’s super adorable. X3) Hannah and Barbara’s respective interests are totally headcanon to me, but I think their shared conflict and thoughts totally coincide with the actual show. …Well, I’ve been infected. Honestly, when it comes to Akko and Diana’s relationship, I kind of add inspiration from Gon and Killua from _Hunter X Hunter_. Which is funny because Akko and Gon share the same actress. XD**

**And finally, _Ni no Kuni II_ involved leaving the game running for hours while your kingdom develops. So, it would make a player super mad if the kingdom just got destroyed by space pirates! That was the idea behind that flashback. XDD**


	6. Writer’s Block

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nine Witches decide to help Annabel with her writer's block by taking her to New Galaxia.

**This is one of those chapters where I debated with numerous different plotlines before settling with one. Now, let’s meet another character from the show who I strongly relate to.**

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Chapter 6: Writer’s Block

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**Blytonbury Park**

“YAAAAAA!” Akko cheered, stretching her legs to the sky, and then bending her legs back when the swing returned. “WHEEEE!” The swing flew forward again, and up Akko’s legs went.

“Honestly, Akko, you don’t have to yell like a child every time you swing.” Diana told her. The others were at the nearby table, eating sandwiches and cookies.

“Isn’t it not safe to swing after you just ate?” Hannah asked. “Especially with the way she wolfed it all down.”

“I think that only applies to swimming.” Lotte replied. 

“When I was little, I always thought swinging would help me get adjusted to the wind, and then it would help me fly better.” Akko explained. “My record is 40 minutes, by the way!”

“Great, you’ll go down in the books in no time.” Barbara remarked. “That reminds me, we have to write what we wanna do for a career, don’t we? I don’t know about you guys, but _I’m_ going to work in Flora’s Steam Gardens. I still don’t know what I’m going to do when I get there, exactly.”

“Me either.” Hannah replied. “I was thinking of working at a film studio and designing outfits.”

“I bet that would be pretty fun.” Lotte smiled. “I always thought I would just inherit my parents’ magic shop. Or be a Spirit Medium.”

“You don’t wanna be a writer?” Amanda asked. “You write so much fanfiction.”

“I’m not good at making original work, though.”

“Well, I don’t got any future plans. The second school is over, I’m mountin’ my broom and surfing the skies. I mean, why does Finnelan expect us to decide what our life will be right now?”

“Either people will have too high expectations or they won’t have any.” Sucy replied, her sandwich filled with mushrooms. “That’s why I’m choosing the simple life of a swamp witch.”

“I just wanna become a magic chef and cook food that makes everyone happy.” Jasminka replied with her bubbly smile.

“Well, you’re on your way.” Lotte smiled. “These sandwiches are delicious, Jasminka!”

“Thank you. But I don’t think I’m as good as Yuzu from the Earth KND. I tried her food at Field Day and it was amazing.”

“Yeah, but she’s lucky we didn’t let you compete.” Amanda remarked, munching a Magma Sandwich. “So, what about you, Try Hard? Still wanna be like Shiny Chariot?”

“You bet! Well, not Shiny Chariot exactly, but with my own style!”

“Still haven’t changed a bit.” Hannah shook her head. “How about you, Diana? As good as you are, you can go after any job you want.”

“Hmmm…” Diana lightly swirled a cup of tea in her hand, staring into it. “I suppose I’ve… never given thought to what I want to be.”

“Really? You could be an archaeologist who reads Dragon Script, a Royal Witch, or at least a professor.”

“Finding an appropriate job is one thing, but what kind of job would make me _happy_? That’s my real question. And I can’t really decide what job would give me that feeling.”

“Then just make something up!” Akko replied, hanging upside-down as she viewed her friends in a swaying, reversed world. “And make up a bunch of bologna for how you’re going to work hard and carefully plan it! You can just figure it out later.”

“And when later comes, you can never figure out a plan.”

“Okay, guys, I’m ready to fly!” Akko faced forward with enthusiasm. The second the swing was at its peak, “YAAAAAY!” her hands let go of the chains and she flew.

“NO, AKKO!!” Diana screamed.

“AAAH!” The witch smashed someone against the ground.

“Ergh! But I didn’t think it would happen so soon!” the leader shouted as they ran to help.

“Ohh…” Akko saw that she was sitting on a girl with long blonde hair, white headphones, and a black dress. “I’m sorry. This is the 2nd time I’ve fallen on someone this week.”

“Ow…” The girl faced up. “It’s okay. You can get off now.”

As Akko helped the girl up, Lotte and Barbara froze with shock at seeing her. “AAAAAAAHHHH!”

“L-L-Lotte!” Barbara weakly raised a finger. “Is that-?!”

“IT’S ANNABEL CRÈME!” Lotte’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh, Lotte!” Annabel gave a light smile, seeing her Number One fan. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Barbara zipped up and grabbed Akko by the ear. “Hey, you just hurt Annabel Crème! Apologize, Kagari!”

“I already did, ouch!”

“Forgive me, but, who exactly is this girl?” Diana asked.

“She’s the author of _Night Fall_ , of course!” Barbara replied. “120 years old and still perfect!”

“THAT little brat is 120 years old?!” Amanda exclaimed.

“Not exactly.” Lotte replied awkwardly. “So, what have you been up to, Annabel?”

“Oh, just out for a walk. To tell you the truth, Lotte… I’m suffering from a bit of writer’s block.”

“Oh, dear. Is there any way we can help?”

“WAIT, DON’T TELL ME!” Barbara ducked and covered her ears. “I wanna hear nothing that might spoil the next book!!”

“Hehe.” Annabel giggled. “I mean, I have a basic idea for what I’m going to do, but it’s the stuff in-between I’m having trouble with. Not to give away too much, but it involves bandits.”

“OH MY GOSH!!” Lotte beamed. “Don’t tell me the Starblaster Bandits actually captured Belle!! Is Edgar finally going to their homeworld?!”

“There’s no keeping secrets from you.”

 _“What is this story even about?”_ the others chorused, turning pale.

Akko’s body was the first to regain color as her brain swelled with a thought. “I know the PERFECT way to cure your writer’s block!”

“And today’s verdict is:” Amanda remarked.

“Let’s go to NEW GALAX-!”

“We are NOT going to New Galaxia!” Diana turned her mouth into a zipper. “While it may have become a tourist attraction, much of it is still uncharted, and any KND operatives wishing to go there will need an escort from the Trollian KND. You can’t expect the Supreme Leader to give us permission just for this amateur author.”

“Please forgive her, Annabel, she’s just an outsider!” Barbara said, sweating incredibly.

Akko unzipped her mouth. “Then let’s tell him we’re going on an exploration mission! We can do another report and help Annabel at the same time!”

“Hmmm… well, I was hoping to pay a visit to that dimension at some point.”

“What happened to you, Diana?” Hannah wept.

“YAY! We’re going to New Galaxia!” Akko cheered.

“Not, yet! I can’t promise that I can persuade the Supreme Leader. But we will have to keep the matter of Annabel a secret. We couldn’t just bring a civilian to such a dangerous place.”

“Is it really that dangerous?” Annabel asked.

“Not dangerous, from what I hear.” Lotte replied. “Just a little… bizarre.”

**Avalar KND Moonbase**

“Hmmm…” Griffin Firecrystal pondered it carefully. The Sector LN members were standing patiently, but Akko’s eyes were notably larger with anxious excitement. “All right then.” They beamed at his answer. “I’ll contact Nebula and see if she can have an escort sent over. To be honest, I’m thrilled that you all want to explore that dimension.” He smiled. “We’ve only spent a brief moment in New Galaxia, when we fought that Thanos creep. It would be nice if one of our sectors had more experience there. That’d put us a step closer to BEATING Chris and his snotty Earth operatives!” He raised a fist, eyes flaming.

“YOU SAID IT!” Amanda cheered.

“The best case scenario is an escort will be here by tomorrow. But just because it’s Saturday for us, it might not be for that crazy place.”

“Keep your fingers crossed, Barbara!” Lotte said with excitement. “We’re going to help Annab—uh, the Avalaran KND!”

“I’ll tie my fingers in knots, Lotte!”

“That reminds me,” Akko plopped her elbows on the desk, thrusting her face toward Griffin’s before pulling back, “any chance we could have an escort who’s good at keeping secrets?”

“Akko!” Diana shouted.

“Hey, I just like someone I can converse with in private!”

“That’s what we have Constanze for.” Amanda remarked.

“Mmmm…” mumbled the mute.

“I’ll, uh… see what I can do.” Griffin replied.

**The next day; Stanship, outside the Great Clock**

“OK, NBFs! (New Best Friends!)” declared one of their escorts, a green-haired troll with a red sweater, bat wings, and a Holy Cross necklace. “The name’s Yosafire Holior, Numbuh † (Cross), and this is my BFF, Froze, aka my BFFF!”

The girl in question was an angel with a gray dress that had Lego-like designs. “Yosafire insisted on taking this escort job, and I’m here because I know she’ll get you lost.”

“I can strongly relate to your plight.” Diana replied in a similar tone and voice.

“How so, Diana?” Akko curved her head sideways.

“Yeah, Froze, I don’t get lost!” Yosafire did the same.

 _“The resemblance is uncanny.”_ they chorused.

“At any rate, if you’re ready, fly the ship directly into that portal.” Froze ordered.

“Right.” Amanda nodded.

When the Great Clock was reconstructed, a massive gap was left open to the Chamber of 20 Keys, exposing the Gate of Time for any and all vessels curious enough to see what existed beyond the blinding vortex. As the Stanship leisurely sailed by, the operatives viewed out the window, seeing a memorial table with pictures of Rachel Uno, Lehcar, Fanny Drilovsky, Mikaela Chariton, and Jagar King. The witches took off their hats in respect, and a mini Annabel was exposed under Lotte’s.

Lotte smiled up at her favorite author before casting a quick spell to resize her. “People pay good money to board a cruise ship to New Galaxia, and you’re going for free, Annabel!”

“Thank you, Lotte. But I’d hate to make you all go through this much trouble just for me.”

“It’s okay, it’s great to have you along with us!”

“It sure is!” Barbara beamed. “You think we could have a cameo in one of your chapters?!”

“Tone it down, Barb…” Lotte whispered.

“OK, team, we’re entering the swirly!” Yosafire cheered as they were zipping through the First Byway. “You remember how it took three whole years to get to our universe? Well, now it only takes-” they came out the other side, “three minutes!”

“You can go a surprisingly long time without finishing a sentence.” Froze said.

The witches immediately fell in love with the surreal dimension. Beyond the distance was a planet shaped like a Mobius Strip; a gigantic bird with rainbow wings was soaring over their little vessel; and beneath them, it seemed like they were flying just over a planet’s atmosphere, but its distorted, liquidy motion told them that it was a tremendous bubble.

“Woooow…” Annabel’s face was glued to the window. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I didn’t think this was how space looked outside Avalar.”

“Outside our universe.” Lotte corrected. “Annabel, if this place doesn’t heal your writer’s block, nothing will.”

“Just to be clear, I only want to stay here for 3-5 hours, then we head home.” Diana stated.

“Man, you’re a buzzkill, Diana.” Akko whined. “We need at least a YEAR to explore this universe!”

“We only have until Monday to hand in our career papers and I refuse to stay here THAT long. Let’s pick a planet and begin our expedition.”

“Okay, here’s a list of known planets we explored.” Yosafire said, bringing up a holographic screen. “What about Dewey G, the Land of Dew and Glass?” She clicked an image of a field of wet grass, a gigantic fishbowl with a town inside, and a sky of swirly blue circles. “Wonderful place to go swimming!”

“Yeah, but Annabel can’t transform into a fish.” Lotte replied.

“Nyramid is a good planet.” Froze said, showing an image of a desert landscape with pyramids and neon lightning in a black sky. “Land of Pyramids and Neon.”

“Mmmmmmm!” Constanze was awed by it.

“Eh, I like my deserts with more sun.” Amanda said.

“Okay, how ’bout we try—WHOA!” Yosafire yelped and they all fell down when what looked like a comet grazed past their keel.

Akko was the first on her feet, the comet’s pink light glimmering in her crimson eyes. “Huuuu! What is THAT?!”

“OMG! It’s the Crystal Heart Comet!” Yosafire exclaimed. Indeed, the comet was a gigantic pink heart of solid crystal, leaving a trail of dust.

“The Crystal What Now?” Lotte questioned, fixing her glasses.

“It’s an old legend of our world.” Froze answered. “Billions of sweeps ago, the Crystal Heart was ripped from the core of its planet and continues roaming the stars in search of it. One would look at it and think it came from Emera, but that isn’t the case.”

“Then where does it come from?”

“No one knows. Some say it never belonged to a planet at all.”

“That’s so romantic.” Annabel said. “Endlessly drifting the universe to find the one you love… I have to write this down.” She grabbed her pen and a notepad.

“Hi, mind if I borrow these?” Barbara asked, swiping the author’s headphones. “Ahhhh. No spoilers are reaching this faithful reader’s ears.”

_Where are you… Where are you…_

“Huh?” Lotte lightly gasped. “Did anybody… hear that?”

“Hear what?” Diana asked.

“I thought I heard a voice…”

_If you’re there… please say something… Please hear my voice…_

Lotte’s mouth stretched into an ‘O’. “It’s the comet. I think the comet has a spirit. It’s calling out to its planet.”

“If you can hear it, then maybe you can talk to it.” Akko wondered.

“Let’s not trouble ourselves with it-” Diana failed to say.

“Amanda, fly after that comet, that’s an order!” Akko pointed proudly.

“Aye-aye, Vice-Captain!” Amanda twisted the broom tightly and kicked fire into the gas pipe, boosting after the Crystal Heart at high speed.

“No, we mustn’t!” Froze said as everyone was thrown off their feet from the momentum. “Any vessel that follows the comet was said to have been lost forev-”

“Let’s see if I can speak to it from here!” Lotte said, getting to her seat and casting “Sonorus!” at her speaker. This caused a giant magic megaphone to emerge from the front of the Stanship. _“La la la la laaaa… laaaa la la, la, laaa…”_

A soft pink glow enveloped their ship as a spirit revealed itself. She was an angel with long bangs that surfed like waves, her arms and legs invisible in her ghostly dress. Her blank, heart-shaped eyes dripped tears. _“These poor souls are lost, too.”_

“No, Spirit, we’re not lost.” Lotte replied with a smile. “We just wanted to talk to you.”

_“You may join me if you wish. You may know loneliness with me.”_

“I’m not sure if we’re on the same page here.”

_“We will always remain lonely… searching for the ones we love.”_

“Hey!” Amanda yelled. “I can’t steer the ship, there’s some kind of gravity field!”

“Great, look what you’ve done NOW, Akko!” Diana shouted.

“It wasn’t me! What did the spirit say, Lotte?!”

“I-It wants us to join her.”

“For dinner?! I hope she has apples!” Yosafire cheered.

“We’re going to die.” Froze replied.

The comet began to emit a blinding light, turning everything into pink and slowly evolving to white. “Spirit, please, we were just visiting! We won’t bother you, please let us go! Spirit!”

…

…

Lotte felt tiny, gentle droplets touching her face, waking to a sky of golden clouds. The sun was pounding her nearsighted eyes, so she had to feel around for her glasses, thankfully finding them. Taking a moment to clear her vision, Lotte saw that she was on an isle of white sand and magenta trees, shiny droplets tickling and warming her skin. She searched around and saw an unconscious girl in the sand. “Annabel!” she gasped, rushing to her aid.

Annabel came to as well, her deep purple eyes meeting with Lotte’s spectacles. “Lotte? What happened to us?”

“I’m not sure. We seem to have crashed on one of the planets.”

“Hmm…” Annabel stood, studying the marvelous ocean. This planet nicely complimented her eyes and hair, but contrasted with her black dress. It was truly beautiful, and yet Annabel felt a vast emptiness in her heart. “Lotte, I don’t think I wanna stay here any longer. I want to go home.”

“So do I.” Lotte replied worriedly. “But we have to find the others. AKKOOOO! Dianaaaaaa! Can anybody hear me?!”

 _“They will not hear you.”_ Taken aback by the angelic voice, Lotte faced up at the heavens: the Crystal Heart Comet loomed in the sky, the sun shining through it and creating a ray. _“The souls of your friends have been scattered across the universe. No other soul, alive or dead, will be able to see you. You will be lost, searching for the ones you love for all eternity.”_

“F-For all eternity?!” Lotte choked, horrified by the thought. How could she go all eternity, never speaking to another soul. “…!” Lotte glanced to Annabel and gasped in realization. “B-But Annabel is right here! We just spoke to each other.”

_“Just as you spoke to me… It seems that you carry a more special voice. One that soothes the hearts of spirits. It matters not… for you will still search hopelessly for your loved ones, forever.”_

“Please, Spirit!” Lotte folded her hands. “Please bring us back together! Why would you do this to us?! Are you angry with us mortals?!”

 _“I feel only sadness and longing. You will never find your friends… as I will never find my home.”_ And the comet resumed its journey across the stars.

“What did it say, Lotte?” Annabel asked. Lotte recapped it for her. “Oh, no… Lotte, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault you decided to come here.”

“Don’t worry, Annabel!” Lotte spoke determinedly. “If I can still talk to you, then I can be the light that brings all our friends back together!”

“But how? Without our escorts, we have no way of navigating this universe.”

Lotte reached into her pocket and retrieved her wand. “Even objects have spirits, including this wand. Can you hear me?” The wand morphed into a ghost, blinking its beady eyes. “Thank goodness. Can you still use magic while in this state?” It nodded. “Perfect! Point Me to the Stanship.” Her wand pulled her arm toward the comet’s trail. “It’s still following the comet, huh? Annabel, get on my broom.” She grabbed her broom off the sand and sat on.

“Lotte, didn’t the comet say your friends were scattered?” Annabel asked, seated behind her. “They wouldn’t be on the Stanship.”

“I know, but their bodies will be.” Lotte said, raising off the ground. “Before my grandmother died, she told me…”

“Your voice can’t call souls back from the dead, Lotte, but that does not mean they cannot hear you. When I am gone, promise you’ll come to visit me. I would love to keep hearing you sing to me…”

“I think she meant that if I spoke to a person’s deceased body, their soul could hear me in the Spirit World. I don’t believe any of us are actually dead, but I would like to hope the same rule applies!”

Soaring away from the planet, the comet thought to herself: _There are ones that the lost souls value above others. They will be able to see these loved ones… but the loved ones will not see them. And so, they will continue to pursue them hopelessly._

**Land of Brains and Fire**

“Man, I wanted a fire planet, but this place is disgusting.” Amanda said, trudging across a gigantic, mushy brain, floating over a pit of fire. “I hope everyone else is okay.”

“Amanda!” Jasminka shouted, trying to grab her arm, but the chubby witch phased through her like a ghost. “Amanda, can’t you hear me?! It’s me, Jasminka!”

“This place is disgusting.” Amanda said, ignoring her and walking forward. Jasminka frowned with concern. “I wonder if these are actually Solaran brains?”

“Amanda!” Jasminka kept desperately trying to get her attention.

**Land of Caves and Silence**

Diana Cavendish found herself stranded in an indigo desert. Miles across the valley were hundreds of caves along cliffs or sand dunes, possibly creating a complex underground labyrinth. “Ugh, I can’t believe Atsuko ended up getting us stranded like this. That’s it, the second we make it back to Avalar, we are NOT going along with her ideas, anymore. I need to give her a strict reminder who is the leader of our-…”

Speaking of the daredevil, Diana saw Akko prancing just a few yards away. “Oh, right on schedule. AKKO!” Diana raced after her. “Akko, I’m over here! Are you listening to me?!”

“Hooooh…” Akko slowed to a halt, gasping for breath and hunching over. “That’s the last time we follow a stupid comet. Where the heck is everyone?” She looked around. “No way we could’ve landed that far apart. Oh, I can always try flying!” She grabbed her broom from her Infi-Satchel and mounted it. “Tia Freyre!” Nothing happened. “What?! Not even a little? Well, there’s always the alternative.” She got her Shiny Rod and declared, “Shiny BALAI! …” She blinked in surprise. “This doesn’t work either?!”

“Akko!” Diana finally caught up. “What are you, deaf or something? You shouldn’t just go running aimlessly on a planet like-” She reached to grab her ear. “Hu-?!” Her hand phased through it like air. Diana reached through Akko’s chest and flapped her hand, confirming that she was untouchable. “A-Akko…Akko, can you see me?!” Diana walked straight through and in front of her friend.

“Siiiigh… ’guess I’ll just keep looking.” Akko decided, unknowingly running through Diana.

“She…She can’t see or hear me.” Diana said with utmost horror. “But I…I couldn’t be dead. Hu-?!” It was then she realized Akko left no footprints in her trail. The heiress raced after her, a mix of fear and curiosity boiling in her heart.

Akko spotted an alien centipede crawl out of the sand and into a save. Her curiosity becoming her, the Asian witch followed it. “Akko, don’t!” Diana cried.

“YAAAAAHHHH!” Akko screamed when a tremendous eel erupted out of the cave and ensnared the centipede, along with herself. Diana was frozen with horror, believing this to be the end of Akko’s journey… until the eel retracted and left Akko with nary a scratch. The witch examined herself, royally muddled. “I-I-It went right through me!”

“Akko…” It was then Diana confirmed the same had become of her.

Akko looked down behind her. “This feels like sand, but I haven’t left any footprints! And I can’t use my magic. Am I…” The realization struck her like a fatal blow. _“Am I dead?”_

Diana wanted to call to her again, but felt the act would be pointless. Remaining completely unaware to her leader’s presence, Akko clasped her head. “No, I can’t be dead. It couldn’t end like this! I still haven’t graduated, I still haven’t become a great witch! What about my friends?! LOTTE! SUCY! DIANA! PLEASE ANSWER ME!”

“I’m right here, Akko! !” Diana spilled tears as she bellowed. “Why don’t you hear me?! How can I see you, but you can’t see me?!”

Hearing no reply from any of her friends, Akko could only accept defeat. She fell on the sand and buried her eyes in her hands. “Please, I need you. I can’t get out of this by myself.” Sniffle. “I don’t wanna die, yet. Please, one of you must know a way. D-Diana. Diana, please tell me you can help me. You always know a way to help me.”

All Diana could do was sit beside her friend and hold her. She desperately wished for Akko to feel her warmth, but their souls were hollow to each other. “I don’t know everything, Akko. I don’t know how to help you. I don’t know why you can’t see me. …I will not leave you by yourself. I wish you could just know…” Her tears fell past Akko and hit the sand, “that I’m here for you. And you’re not alone. We’re not alone…”

For the next few minutes, there was no sound except for Akko’s sobs. Diana had never seen her in this much despair. And this time, she could do nothing to help her friend, only sit and listen. It truly did feel like the end had come, to both of them.

Then, to Diana’s surprise, Akko stood up to full height, brushing the last tears away with her arm. “Ah, it feels good to empty the tear ducts once in a while.” she said as she did a few stretches. “Wellp, I guess since I’m dead now, I’ll just have to learn magic all over again! But first I should find the ghosts of my dead friends, then we’ll head up to the Spirit World and go to GHOST Witch School! YAY!” Filled with positive spirits once again, the young witch began to skip across the desert.

“A-Akko!” Diana ran after her.

“Wait a second!” Akko stopped. “If I’m a ghost, then that means I should be able to fly.” With that, she jumped in the air and began to swim upward. “I-I am flying! I’m really flying! YAAAAAAHHH!” She swam in perfect circles and twisted her body in all sorts of directions.

Diana decided to try this and flew up as well. “Ahh…” She smiled not just from the feeling, but from seeing the Muggle-born in such bliss. “Wait until Diana sees me! Pretty soon, I’ll be flying faster than her!” Diana giggled at her simple desire.

 _“Hello, my friends. My name is Lotte.”_ A most gentle voice echoed in their ears. _“I hope you all can hear me. If you can… please follow the sound of my voice.”_

“L…Lotte.” Akko spoke.

 _“I hope that we’re not too far apart.”_ At the same time, Amanda and Jasminka heard this from a gigantic brain. _“I don’t know if you can truly hear me.”_ Hannah and Barbara heard this from a mountain of Little Cubes and Tea. _“But this is the best I can do.”_ Yosafire was trying to yell for Froze to see her, when the two heard this voice on the Land of Crypts and Helium. _“So, please… follow the sound of my voice. I will keep singing for the rest of eternity until my friends are reunited.”_

“Whuh?!” Akko gaped when her own wand became a spirit. “My wand! Wait, do you know where Lotte is? Whoa!” It immediately forced her arm in that direction.

Diana took out her own broom as it became a ghost. “Akko, I believe our brooms will help us move faster.”

“Come on, Shiny Rod!” Akko raised the spirit of her prized possession. “Become the Shiny Balai and carry me to freedom!” The rod flashed and became a shining broom, whisking Akko out of the atmosphere.

“WAIT FOR ME!” Diana held tight to her own broom and tried to keep up.

Constanze flew away from the Land of Heat and Clockwork, while Sucy escaped from Tombs and Krypton. Putting faith in their brooms and their wands, they flew austerely in the direction of Lotte’s voice. As Annabel watched her sing, she could do nothing but pray that her voice would reach their ears. It was odd that Akko and Diana’s bodies had cried for a moment, but the tears were starting to dry up.

For the young author, this entire journey had been incredibly… romantic. She could imagine Belle in Lotte’s place, and all her friends were Edgar. Lost within the depths of space, with only the voice of the one he loves most to show him the way. Indeed, it would make such an amazing story. But unless they could return home, no one would ever get to read it.

Many of them could not see the comet at first, though with the speed their brooms were flying, it felt like it would appear any moment. However, it seemed that Diana was more firm keeping her eyes on Akko. Her Shiny Balai was flying so fast that she was slowly shrinking in the distance. Diana had already vowed not to leave her alone, so she flew ever faster to keep up with her, to continue following her light.

“Oh! There it is!” Akko beamed, seeing the Crystal Heart Comet in sight. With nothing else to stir their path, she and Diana flew directly toward the heart, and the Stanship that sailed its trail of dust.

All the witches, Yosafire, and Froze arrived within moments, and Lotte breathed the most heartfelt gasp. “You made it!”

 _“I sure did!”_ most of them chorused. _“But where are the others?”_

“Uh, you’re all right… n-never mind.” Lotte had trouble understanding the rules of this curse. “Let’s see if we can get in our bodies.” They all nodded, bending over their sleeping forms and reaching into their hearts. The spirits glowed as they were absorbed into their bodies.

The girls finally awoke, feeling groggy due to the awkward positions they were in. Gasping awake, Akko jumped to her feet and felt around. “I-I’m alive! At least, I think I am. Quick, somebody hit me! YOW!” Constanze kicked her in the shin. “That hurt! YAHOOOO!”

“Yeah, but I still can’t steer the ship away!” Amanda yelled.

“HMPH!” Constanze raised her finger above a button labeled ‘Spring Beam,’ pressing it powerfully and holding it down as energy charged in their cannon.

“Oh, just going to smash it to bits, are you?” the pilot smirked.

“It won’t work!” Froze said. “It absorbs energy attacks and sends them right back.”

“HRR!” Constanze released the button, firing a massive laser shaped like a spring with a red top. It was absorbed into the comet, and they watched as it was refracted and redirected back at them! The force of the spring blew the Stanship straight back, the vessel spinning as the girls were thrown off-balance.

“You did it, Constanze!” Akko beamed.

“Not yet. We’re still in its gravity!” Amanda said.

“Amanda, use every ounce of firebending you have to boost us away!” Diana ordered.

“Aye-aye!” Amanda went Fire Fury and channeled all of her chi to her right foot, blasting a raging flame directly into the pipe.

“Let me help, too!” Yosafire crouched beside it, took a deep breath, and blew emerald and red flames in the pipe as well. The engine burned bigger than the Stanship, ensuring freedom for the girls as they blasted away from the Heart Comet.

“WE’RE FREEEEE!” Akko screamed for all the stars to hear. “F*** you, Heart Comet!”

“I wholeheartedly agree.” Diana replied. “The comet can go frick off.”

“Close enough, but yes.” Amanda said. “I don’t know what the heck that was all about, but you sure saved our skins, Lotte.”

“To be honest, you’re probably right.” Lotte blushed. “That curse was supposed to prevent us from seeing or hearing one-another, but I think I was able to bypass this rule being a Ghost Whisperer. I hate to think what would happen if I weren’t.”

“Hehe, you’re the best friend we could ever ask for, Lotte!” Akko squeezed her in a hug.

“Hehe, that’s kind of you to say. So, where are we off to now?”

“I’ll tell you exactly where we’re going!” Diana began in anger. “We’re turning this ship around, going straight back through the portal, and back to Avalar! We were clearly unprepared in coming to this dangerous place, and we endangered a civilian because of our negligence.”

“But we just got here!” Amanda argued. “We need to look at at least ONE planet. Don’t ya think so, Akko?”

“Forget it, I’m with Diana.” Akko sighed, slouching in her seat. “That was more stress than I bargained for.”

“That’s two leaders in agreement.” Diana folded her arms haughtily.

“Sigh… Alright, back home it is.” The pilot silently admitted defeat and turned the ship.

“Aw, man.” Yosafire moaned. “I was looking forward to giving my first tour.”

“We apologize for wasting your time.” Diana said honestly.

“It’s alright.” Froze replied. “Even we’re still getting used to our own universe.”

“On the bright side,” Annabel began with a small smile, “this has given me tons of inspiration for my next book. After all, nothing cures writer’s block like almost dying.”

“Oh gosh, did we just witness the birth of a new Annabel quote?!” Barbara exclaimed. “This has been the BEST adventure ever!”

“Not even in the Top 10.” Hannah remarked.

**Luna Nova; Akko’s Room**

By the time Sector LN returned to Avalar, Diana wrote a report to the Supreme Leader, effectively warning all Kids Next Doors about the dangers of the Heart Comet. The first thing Akko did was climb into her bed, hugging her pillow and facing the wall. Clearly, she was trying to sleep the trauma away, that much was obvious to Diana. And yet, that same trauma was preventing her from resting peacefully. “Akko.”

“I know, Diana.” Akko swayed her feet up in the air and propped her chin on the pillow. “It’s my fault we ended up in that mess and you wanna punish me.”

Diana’s first instinct was to tell her that she was with her on that planet… but it was obvious that neither of them wanted to talk about such a tender moment. “No, it was my fault… and yours. As leader of this team, it’s my duty to make rational decisions that will ensure our safety and victory. You’ve been on a lucky streak, but that luck was bound to run out. I should have anticipated that.”

“You’re completely right. And you know what, I’m never going to that dimension again.”

“Hmm… then I guess I’m not, either.” Diana brushed a hair back.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that I’m going to be a lot less lenient with you. I’ll be keeping a much closer eye to make sure you stay out of trouble, and I expect you to take me more seriously as your leader.”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya.” Akko lay her head on its side again.

“Sigh… so, if you don’t mind, I have a paper to finish.” Diana made herself comfy on their desk and began to write. “And once you are finished with your nap, I expect you to do the same.”

“I got it, Boss.”

After that experience, it must have been solace for Diana to continue scolding her. After any mission to any far-away planet, home was the greatest place you can imagine. Akko’s favorite place was her bed, just as Diana’s favorite place was a writing desk. It made them so thankful that they were alive, hearing each other’s voices. And so, Diana’s own writer’s block had been lifted.

**Finnelan’s Office**

After the students handed in their career papers, Professor Finnelan began to look them over. She rolled her eyes at Akko’s paper, having heard her desire to become a magician a few dozen times before, but at least it was more than what Amanda wrote… which was nothing. Constanze planned to head to Coruscant and “help their machinery evolve with magitech,” in which she drew herself as a general in a tank. Wangari also planned to move to Coruscant and work for Intergalactic News.

“Hm?” That’s when Finnelan came upon Diana’s paper. “Well, this one should be promising.” She smiled and began to read it.

_“What would I like to be when I grow up?” A question that was repeated over and over during my childhood. As the future Head of Cavendish and the pride of Luna Nova, it is no exaggeration that I can be anything I want to be. I can be a Royal Mage. I can be an Auror. I can become Headmistress of Luna Nova. So what do I, Diana Cavendish, desire from a career? After much thought and careful consideration… I decided that I want a career—a life, in which I can truly be happy. I can only think of one thing in this entire world that fills me with true happiness._

“…” Finnelan’s smile became a frown as she read the rest. “Well, that’s not what I expected. I hope you know what you’re doing, Miss Cavendish.”

**Somewhere on the ocean**

Unbeknownst to the Nine Witches, during their brief journey to New Galaxia, chaos was transpiring along the sea. Cargo ships were crumbling under the force of hundreds of jawbreakers. The crewmen scrambled to fight back, but the invading candy pirates proved to be too powerful for them to handle. These pirates happened to be people in circus attire, juggling spiked balls that they chucked at crewmen, kicked them overboard with long legs, and used elephants to squash them into paste.

The captain of this crew – a pink-haired man with a slender, muscular body, a heart and diamond on his sleeveless shirt, and a teardrop and star below his eyes – had finished slicing the helmsman’s throat. “My, Appleton has such poor security. And all this just so some rich girl will marry Jaune Pringle. Sigh… if this Cavendish girl doesn’t surrender after this much destruction, then I pretty much wasted my time.”

_

Big Mom Pirates Dinner Division General  
Carnian Linlin descendant  
HISOKA MOROW

_

“Master Hisoka!” shouted a juggler on a large ball. “Reinforcements have arrived! They have giant mouse ears!”

“Excuse me?” Hisoka approached the window, seeing a fleet of black ships with large, round ears looming over them. The ships began to bombard the candy ships with magic lasers, forcing the pirates to launch up to them with trapezes and break into the cockpits. “Those can only be Disney ships. …Well, this creates a hole in our plan.”

**Appleton Palace; meeting room**

“Ever since those candy pirates appeared, we’ve been suffering a terrible decline in trade relations.” spoke the King of Appleton, walking off his throne. His ministers were gathered, including Paul Hanbridge, Minister of State, and his son, Andrew Hanbridge. “But with your help, our people may yet see a bright new age. I am ever so thankful to you, King Mickey.”

“Don’t mention it!” Mickey replied with a friendly smile. “It’s my pleasure to help people in need. Besides, I needed some way to thank Akko and her friend for starring in my commercial. I think helping their home nation is just the way to do that!”

“I knew it!” Andrew spoke up in bright spirits. “Your Majesty, that girl in your commercial was Atsuko Kagari?!”

“Andrew, mind yourself!” his father ordered.

“Oh?” Mickey turned to them. “Wait a sec, are you a friend of Akko?”

Andrew’s father gave a disgruntled sigh. “My son is… acquainted with the young witch, yes.”

“Really? …Well, isn’t that lucky!” The tiniest twinkle gleamed in Mickey’s eye.

 

**I planned for this story to be 9 chapters long, but it might go into 10 chapters, due to the fights I still need to plan out. Funny thing about Annabel, her hair makes her look like two certain other characters who appear in the Gameverse, from two other series about magic. ;) Later on, I definitely wanna make a friendship between Akko and Yosafire, because not only are their personalities similar, they both suck at flying! XD**


	7. Sneaky Sucy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Mickey comes to Luna Nova, intending to make a deal with Akko. Meanwhile, Sucy is developing a new potion.

**I just learned something funny about Amanda: in _Harry Potter_ , when they were first learning broom-riding, the professor greets a student named Amanda. And as we know, Amanda O’Neill is a master broom-rider. WAS SHE NAMED AFTER THAT _HP_ CHARACTER?!**

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Chapter 7: Sneaky Sucy

_**

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**Silver River Forest; 5:20 p.m.**

The Silver River was a distinct landmark in the Cheetah Valley, a beautiful river that glistened like silver under the sun. The river originated from a dark forest, where its purity was gone, and in its place was a purple river of pure toxic. The filthy creatures of this wood fed off this toxic as if it were an all-curing drink, yet any other creature could die within moments after ingesting it.

Sucy Manbavaran dipped a purple teacup into the toxic water and sipped the delicious drink, sporting a euphoric smile. “I love a healthy dose of Silver Water in the morning.”

“Sucy, isn’t that the most poison substance on the planet?” Akko asked.

“My mother fed us this drink all the time when we were little. We Manbavarans are naturally immune to poisons, and we adore it as much as Diana loves tea. You should try some, Akko.” She offered a cup of poison to her with a wicked grin.

“No, thank you! I get poisoned by you enough every day.”

“You should thank me for building up your immune system! After all, with your lack of skill, it’s best to have as much on your résumé as possible.”

“Look, can we just get your mushrooms and go home already? I don’t wanna spend the last of my Sunday in a stinky forest.”

“Not to worry. We’ll be going someplace much better soon.” Sucy smirked. “Just follow me.” The goth witch led her downriver, and they eventually saw a small island with a decayed tree with multiple branches. Beyond that was the edge of a waterfall. While Sucy casually trudged through the purple poison, Akko changed into a mouse and rode on her hat.

When they set foot on the island, Akko changed back as Sucy sprayed red paint into an “X” on the tree. The “X” began to sizzle, and the bark seemed to morph into a blackish-brown, liquidy substance. Akko gaped, terrified when a head grew from the tree, his face smiling and his smoggy hair blowing, and he stretched his muscular arms and legs to show off his physique.

“Ahhhhh… I haven’t had a visitor in AGES-ssssss!”

“It’s only been a few weeks.” Sucy remarked.

“Ahhh… Sucy.” The spirit twisted his head upside-down, lowering to her level. “How good to see you… and you’ve brought a friend.”

“H-Hi.” Akko smiled weakly, pinching her nose shut. “My name’s Akko. You two seem well-acquainted.”

“Oh, I’ve known Sucy’s family for quite a long time.” The disembodied head drifted around them, shrouding them in his smoke. “I’ve never met so many non-poisonbenders who can ssstand my ssscent. Most mortals would die within 50 feet of me!”

“Cough!” Akko struggled to withstand his smoke. “Just who are you, anyway?!”

“This is Hexxus.” Sucy replied. “The God of Poison.”

“Y-You’re an actual god?!”

“Oh, sssure!” Hexxus floated up, hands on his hips. “Just because I never get invited to god parties and I have to shower in deodorant to attend meetings, mortals act like they’ve never heard of me. Sure, I may have killed a few forests in my time, but who hasn’t?! I trained the freaking Negatar! And the gods want me to stay in this damned forest! I can’t even find me a decent girlfriend.” Hexxus twisted his head about-face, crossing his arms around his back to scratch his armpits. “Not since I hooked up with this fat bitch a few thousand years back. Ho ho ho, did she get sick! Meh, she was a slut, anyway. So, Sucy, I assume you’re here for more of my sweet ingredients?”

“A little more than that. The mushrooms I’ve been trying to use for my new potion aren’t enough. I think I’m going to need to visit the Silent Isle.”

“Th-The Silent Isle?!” Hexxus gasped, his mouth vertically stretching for a second. “You expect me to take you to Planet Venom?!”

“Venom?” Akko asked. “That’s the planet you mentioned earlier, isn’t it, Sucy?”

“Venom is strictly prohibited territory for tourists and KND alike.” Sucy answered. “You can only visit if you have urgent business. Otherwise, it’s always being guarded by blockades. But Hexxus can warp us there easy, being a god.”

“You do know that it’s strictly forbidden for gods to give mortals a ‘Spirit Lift,’ don’t you?” Hexxus asked, floating his face inches in front of Sucy’s.

“So?”

“HHHHHHHAH HAH hah haaa! Like I care about THAT! After all, gods pick favorites all the time! Viridi favored Arianna, Palutena favored Sheila, Solaris favors Romeo, and I happen to favorite the Dimalantas. And it would seem you have become buddies with dear Haruka.”

“It’s easy when you like the same stuff.” Sucy smiled.

“Okay, I’ll bring you to the Silent Isle, but only for a few minutes. Here, you’ll want to wear these.” Hexxus willed an oxygen bubble to form over them. “Even if you’re immune to poison, it’s best for mortals not to breathe that planet. Strap on your seatbelts!” Hexxus widened his mouth and engulfed the witches, Akko screaming as they were flushed into his vortex like a toilet.

When they were spat back out, they face-planted on a brownish-yellow soil. They faced up at a sky blotted by fiery smoke, and beyond the shore was a vast green sea of acid. “If you’re thinking of going for a swim, then don’t, ladies.” Hexxus said. “My bubbles won’t help you long in the Acid Sea.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Sucy replied, going into a forest of dead trees. “The mushrooms I need should be somewhere in here.”

“Sigh…” Akko sighed, deciding to stay put. She wanted to sit down, but had no intention of soiling her shorts. “Just look at this place. I couldn’t imagine a worse planet to live on.”

“Oh, there are plenty of bad planets, trust me.” Hexxus splashed into the ocean, forming a scrubber and brushing his trim, strong legs. “Planets so bad that even the GODS get sick of them. Why do you think Groudon left Halcandra and Rayquaza left Tornadus? Because a planet with only one element and little tourism is f**king boring! True, I return here every now and then for a refreshing bath… but even we poisonbenders enjoy a little fresh air. Avalar is a much prettier planet to live on. Not sure why I’m telling you, though.” Hexxus spread his legs and began to wash between them. “You’re not even a poisonbender, you wouldn’t understand.”

Akko’s cheeks swelled with vomit. “Excuse me, Mr. Hexxus.” And she zipped to a different side of the island, letting it loose to be dissolved in the Acid Sea. “Ugh… now I know why I’m gay. Mm?”

When she looked up, she could see a small fleet of ships in the distance. From afar, they looked like flying saucers, but had a more angular shape. It seemed like they were sticking pipes into the Acid Sea and sucking water in. Eventually, the pipes retracted into the ships and they began to take off, flying over the Silent Isle in the process. Akko had a clear view of their underside for a brief moment: they were a yellowy-orange and hexagonally-shaped. “Are they… honeycombs?”

“Okay, Akko, I got the mushrooms.” Sucy said, approaching her. “You ready to go back to Luna Nova?”

“Um… yeah…” Akko answered, growing ever more suspicious.

**Sector LN**

“Memoria Bibendum!” Hannah cast the spell on Akko, projecting a replay of the small memory. Diana closely observed the hexagonal ships, stroking her chin in a contemplative fashion.

“No doubt… those ships come from Hivory Mountains. Which means they must belong to Gruntilda. This is concerning…”

“What’s strange is that most materials can’t survive in the Acid Sea.” Sucy mentioned. “They would need a very strong material in order to hold it.”

“Like… Vibranium.” Diana recalled Gruntilda’s reason for meeting with Mickey. “But why? What could she possibly want with all that acid?”

“Whatever it is, we should probably tell the Supreme Leader about this.” Lotte suggested.

“Excellent idea. Tomorrow, Griffin is scheduled to meet with the Galactic Kid Council on Planet Wisp. Perhaps he can bring this matter up with them.”

“Hey, do ya think he’ll talk about _us_ tomorrow at the council?” Akko asked with a hopeful smile. “We’ve been doing so much these past few days, I bet he’ll recommend us for intergalactic missions!”

“Let’s just focus on the problem at hand.” Diana replied.

“Well, you know me,” Akko shrugged, “I’m not good with this brainy research stuff. Unless you need me to sneak into Grunty Industries, I’m going to take a shower and go for a stroll to clear my lungs out.”

“If you must.” Diana sighed. “Just please stay out of trouble.”

“Oh, when am I ever in trouble?” Akko smirked perkily, jogging out of the room. “Buh-bye!”

“I’ve noticed she always wants to go somewhere, then she quickly wants to leave.” Sucy remarked.

“She’s not a girl who can just stand around and do nothing.” Lotte replied. “Unless it’s sleeping.”

“Anyway, I’ve got my own projects to work on.” Sucy walked away as well.

**Blytonbury; 6:01 p.m.**

Akko went to an outdoor café and ordered a cup of coffee. She took a sip, soothing her mind and body with its warm, chocolaty flavor. “Silver River poison could never compare to the taste of this beauty.”

 _“Just make sure it ain’t Cuppa Joe!”_ Lee Andrew remarked with a snicker, his face set on a table with Akko’s crystal ball. _“Hehehe, that’s a villain from our world.”_

“So, Lee, what was your trip to New Galaxia like?”

_“The most boring thing ever. We got captured by one of the Darknesses, and we did nothing else except beat up some fodder. Well, Diwata got to do stuff, but we mostly got shafted as always.”_

“Didn’t your sister die on that world? I can imagine why it wouldn’t feel glamorous.”

_“Actually, she died three years before. But hey, same difference.”_

“I didn’t mean to offend you.”

_“No, it’s okay. But to be honest, it makes me feel like we just aren’t cut out for this work. Like, we only joined because our parents were operatives, and we felt like it was our responsibility.”_

“Well, if you don’t enjoy it, there’s no shame in leaving.”

_“Yeah, but I don’t really want to do that either. Because I look back and think… if I didn’t join, maybe no one would’ve saved Wendy. And as much as I hate it… if Leanne didn’t die, Diwata never could’ve become Crest’s Guardian, and then we couldn’t restore the universe. And besides, we’ve met plenty of nice people. Like you.”_

“Hehehe.” Akko grinned and blushed. “Still… we hear so many good things about the KND, it sounds like a dream to be a part of them. But it didn’t sound like Sector V felt that way; or at least, not with Chris. There was so much frustration in his voice, and to hear a wannabe sector like us wanting to claim the top spot… it must’ve really pissed him off.”

_“He isn’t wrong to, I’ll be honest. But the fact is, you don’t become heroes just because you lost a relative or two. You become a hero by showing the world why you deserve to be a hero. And in some respects, that’s a very loose definition. Is it about just doing the right thing for little recognition, or saving entire universes with a grand display of power? A lot of people can be considered heroes for all kinds of reasons. I mean, why do you like Chariot?”_

“Well, because…” Akko propped her head on her hand, thinking reflectively. “Because she showed me how wonderful magic is. She made me realize what my dream is. Still… I never really thought about it like that. When you compare Chariot to other heroes… it makes her seem insignificant. Sigh…”

“Well, what a surprise to see you here, Akko.”

“Huh?” Akko looked up, seeing a familiar charming face with green eyes and brown hair, clothed professionally in a business suit. “Oh my gosh, this is perfect timing!” Akko grabbed her crystal ball and slapped it in Andrew’s hands. “Lee Andrew, this is a friend of mine, Andrew Hanbridge! Andrew, this is Lee Andrew! He’s from Earth!”

“Uh-!” Both boys stared at each other with mouths agape. “My… that is certainly a coincidence.” Andrew said.

_“Yeah, I never thought I’d meet another Andrew who was into red-eyed magical girls.”_

“It’s a small universe, after all.” Andrew shut his eyes, reflecting the irony for a moment. “Oh, that reminds me! I wanted to tell you something, Akko.” He set the ball back on the table.

“Yeah, what is it?”

With a smile, Andrew replied, “This Friday, Appleton will become part of the Disney Alliance!”

“W…What?”

 **Yesterday; Appleton Palace** (Play “Separation” from _Skyward Sword_.)

“Then it is decided…” said King Appleday, shaking Mickey’s hand. “We will invite the whole kingdom to the castle grounds, and officially join with Disney.”

“And as per your request,” Paul Hanbridge followed, “we will meet with the Cavendish Family and discuss entrusting the management of Luna Nova over to you.”

“That’s wonderful!” Mickey beamed. “Don’t worry, fellas, I promise that those pirates will think twice before attacking us from now on!”

“Um, may I say something, Your Highness?” Andrew asked, his father glancing at him with a glare.

“Yes, Viscount Andrew?” Appleday replied.

“While King Mickey’s support is greatly appreciated… why have we not considered requesting Akko’s team to aid us? They are Kids Next Door operatives, after all.”

“I refuse to accept help from those witches again!” Minister Blackwell stated. “It was humiliating that they accomplished what our military could not. It is proof why we must strengthen our forces.”

“But don’t the KND train for such crises?”

“Andrew, they are merely children.” Minister Hanbridge inferred. “Even if I could admit that those witches restored my faith in magic… for us experienced and educated adults to rely on children to defend us is unwise and unjust. I would hate to see them be put in any more danger… I would think you would feel the same.”

“…Perhaps you’re right, Father…”

**Present time**

Akko felt a bit downtrodden, the energy fading in her vibrant eyes. “Do not take it personally.” Andrew assured her. “We do not doubt you or your magic… It is the Kids Next Door we are concerned for.”

“But the Kids Next Door have done amazing things. Everybody loves them.”

“Yes, there is not a single person in the universe that isn’t aware of what’s happened. But you cannot expect everyone to hold the KND in high regard. I, myself, had mixed feelings about them… but when I heard you had joined, I decided to give more insight into them. And as your friend… forgive me if I feel the slightest bit worried.”

“Well… thanks, I guess.” Akko bowed her head, trying to think of a counterpoint. “But, listen, Andrew… I-”

“Miss Kagari, there you are!” an authoritive, feminine voice startled Akko out of her thoughts. She turned with worry to see-

“Professor Finnelan! I-Is something wrong?”

“Your friends told me you would be here in town. I need you to come back to the academy.”

“W-Why? Do you want me to redo the career paper or something?”

“Just come with me. Oh, pardon us, Viscount Hanbridge.”

“Hehe. Oh, hey, why don’t you and Lee get to know each other?” Akko said to him quickly, racing after her professor. “You can return the crystal ball later, okay? Bye, Andrew!”

The viscount was slightly taken aback by her sudden departure and request. _“So, are you and Akko a thing?”_ Lee asked with a smirk.

“N-No, no! We’re just good friends.” (End song.)

**Sector LN, Luna Nova; 6:25 p.m.**

Diana’s eyes were buried in a book titled _Rare Minerals of the Cosmos_ , eyes flowing across a section for Vibranium. _A rare element discovered in the region of Wakanda on Planet Superbia, it is nearly indestructible. Wakandan earthbenders have trained to mold the element into a multitude of buildings, vehicles, and weapons. While they are hesitant to share their element with people who might abuse it, Vibranium weapons have sadly become a black market product to wealthy vendors._

“Hmph.” Constanze got her attention, holding open a book.

“What is it, Constanze? Oh…” The German witch had been reading a book called _Fun and Effective War Weapons_. “Luna Nova shouldn’t have a book like this. And yet…” Indeed, this specific page talked about, “Vibranium Bombs? Often filled with lethal toxins, these bombs could not only breach enemy bases with ease, but could poison a massive radius when detonated.”

“Whatever you’re reading, it sounds like some pretty neat stuff.” Sucy intervened. The Filipino witch dipped a syringe into a mirrory potion, dripping it over a little spider subject. The spider seemed to vanish. When Sucy held her finger in the glass, she felt nothing. Then, a gash that looked like teeth appeared on her finger. “It works! It finally works! My potion is at long last complete!”

“Hey, guys!” Lotte came in. “Professor Finnelan just came back with Akko.”

“Why was she looking for her, anyway?” Diana asked.

“Well…” Lotte seemed worried. “We have a guest.”

“Hmm…” Sucy narrowed her eyes. She had to come see what this was about.

At this time, Finnelan was marching up the hall at an uncomfortably fast pace. “Please tell me what I did wrong, Professor!” Akko pled, trying to keep up. “The suspense is killing me!”

When they arrived at the principal’s office, Finnelan said, “I’ll tell you what you did.” She grabbed the doorknob and passed a smile to Akko. “You may have just saved our school.” And when she opened the door, Akko was royally surprised to see all the professors amassed in the office.

“There she is!” Headmistress Holbrooke announced as they all faced Akko with smiles. “Please come in, Miss Kagari!”

“H-Headmistress.” Akko walked in nervously. “Professor Pisces… Professor Ursula… what’s going on?”

“You’re not in trouble, don’t worry.” Ursula assured her. “Your Majesty?”

Holbrooke stepped aside… and Akko’s heart skipped a beat, seeing the friendly face of King Mickey Mouse. The twilight sun cast a shadow over the principal’s desk, completely shrouding the mouse in its darkness. “Ah! Hello, Akko.” Mickey greeted with a kind smile. “It’s wonderful to see you again!”

“K…K-King Mickey.” Akko felt the tiniest ounce of worry, but was able to hide it. “W-What are you doing here?”

“He’s come with amazing news!” Holbrooke exclaimed. “His Majesty was so thankful for your starring in his commercial that he’s decided to expand our school.”

“That’s right!” Mickey cheered. “This Friday, I plan to sign a treaty with the king and officially make Appleton part of the Disney Alliance. In the process, I also plan to officially buy and provide funding for Luna Nova Academy.”

“All our financial troubles will be a thing of the past!” exclaimed Professor Badcock. “To think, our humble little school would see such a blessing from His Royal Excellency! And it’s all thanks to you, Miss Kagari!”

“M-Me?!”

“My audience LOVED your performance, Akko!” Mickey beamed. “They want more of you! And that’s why I wanted to personally invite you to work for Disney! Commercials, live-action films, I’ll give the audience as much as they could possibly want of you, and all the profits will go directly to Luna Nova!”

“You should be extremely grateful for such an opportunity.” Finnelan told her with arms folded. “A Luna Nova student nearly injuring a king is punishable by expulsion and then some! No student of _your_ caliber would have even a ghost’s chance of going unscathed. And yet, by some miracle, your negligence has just become the best thing to ever befall this school.”

“W…Work for Disney? But, what about Kids Next Door? What about my classes?”

“What does the Kids Next Door have over Disney?” Badcock questioned. “If anything, Disney’s armies are just as strong, if not more. We won’t need a KND sector with King Mickey’s protection. As for your classes, while your performance has slightly improved this year, it is still below average, but working for Disney in Luna Nova’s name will grant you massive extra credit.”

“Plus, we got some of the best magic tutors in the world.” Mickey followed. “You’ll become a master mage in no time at all!”

“It all sounds wonderful.” Professor Ursula replied. “Doesn’t it, Akko?”

“Y…Yes.” Akko had kept an ecstatic smile, seeming completely grateful for such an opportunity. King Mickey didn’t seem to have one ill intent in his eyes… but could he be masking his own feelings? “I don’t know what to say… this is all happening so suddenly…”

“Perhaps we should talk it over first.” Mickey said. “Professors, would you excuse us? I would like to help Akko to decide if this is the right path for her.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Holbrooke replied. “Let us adjourn, ladies.”

As the professors began to leave the room, Ursula whispered, “You’re finally on your way, Akko. You’ll realize your dream sooner than you think.”

“Professor…” Akko looked up at her.

“What is it, Ak-…” Ursula looked into her young red eyes. The mentor could detect the tiniest hint of worry in her pupils. It were as if Akko was telepathically telling her something was wrong.

“Professor Ursula!” Finnelan shouted.

“R-Right! Forgive me…” Ursula exited the room, showing the same concern.

Once they were all out, Donald and Goofy shut the door, with the former sealing it with magic. “Now then… Akko.” She faced the short mouse king. “I hope you’re still not upset about Jasminka.”

“Well, of course _I’m_ not… I’m just wondering if you are.”

“Well, I think we can agree that showing that meeting to the Kids Next Door… was a bit of an over-reaction. I truly meant nothing bad by that business, really. And I would hate for it to ruin a good friendship.”

“Jasminka is my friend, too, and you hurt her feelings.”

“Come on, Akko, it’s such a small thing. When our universe is plagued with murderous pirates and children with dangerous godlike powers, is one silly commercial really such a big deal?”

“What…What did you mean by that?”

“Look, Akko, you may not realize it, but much of the public is… beginning to frown upon the Kids Next Door. Some think they have too much power and don’t know how to properly utilize it. Others think we shouldn’t let our children do such dangerous things. That’s why I wanted to make friends with them, so I could help and protect them. But because of your over-reaction, that’s become a bit difficult.”

“You could always apologize for what you did, so the Supreme Leaders will think better of you.”

“See, that’s what people are concerned with.” Mickey closed his eyes and began to pace around the room, speaking in the most knowing demeanor. “Kids like you get worked up over such petty things, and they always think they’re in the right because of the KND. I mean, just listen to yourself-hoho.”

“I think you’re the one getting worked up. I think you can’t stand it when something doesn’t go your way.”

“Mmm, to be fair,” he faced her with a smile, “I did work my tail off establishing a peaceful kingdom where everyone can be happy, stopped a war or two, got some tribes to get along… I understand a girl with Magic Deficiency has her own struggles, but you couldn’t possibly understand how hard I worked.”

“Alright, I don’t have the knowledge or the experience that you have… but you shouldn’t doubt the Kids Next Door. They’ve lost friends and family, they broke their selves, sacrificed their own peaceful lives just so others can live happily. I remember when we met Sector V.” Akko closed her eyes, envisioning the proud, powerful team in her mind. “After Sheila attacked us… after remembering the stories about their heroics…” She imagined Sheila Frantic knocking out Lord Mandy in one hit, Chris Uno burning Ernie the Chicken to a crisp, “I began to _feel_ the experience radiating from them. Chris and Sheila took all the pain they endured and gave it to us. They are truly people worth admiring, and it was an honor to be acknowledged by them.”

_“I happily acknowledge you as my equal.” Sheila told her with a grin._

“I want to become like Shiny Chariot… but I don’t want to be thought of as a ‘fad.’ I want to truly inspire hope into their hearts, and show them that even a screw-up like me can make it if they just believe in their selves. And that’s why, I will stay with the Kids Next Door!”

“Don’t you understand, Akko?” Mickey furrowed his eyes a tad. “People fear the Kids Next Door, from criminals to ordinary citizens. Why, a few weeks ago, I heard several of your treehouses were attacked by a three-headed monster.”

“That was one of Gruntilda’s monsters.”

“It doesn’t matter whose it was, there lies my point. If children have so much physical and political power with little supervision, then people of equal status will target them. Keep working for them and they’ll begin to fear you, too. You say you want to ‘inspire’ children, but all they’ll do is want to join the Kids Next Door as well, and then they’ll end up getting hurt and endangering their own homes just for being operatives. Just take your sector, for instance. Two Luna Nova students destroy a dangerous missile, explore a dangerous planet, become friends with Earth’s strongest team of kids… Yeah, I follow social media. If you continue to boost your sector’s reputation, before you know it, something awful will happen to your school.”

“…What does that mean?” Akko’s pupils shrunk a little from masked horror. “You’ll destroy Luna Nova if I don’t comply?”

“What?! No-no-no-no!” Mickey waved his hands frantically. “I would never do something so awful! I’m just saying that OTHER people would.”

“Don’t lie to me! I know you had a secret meeting with Gruntilda on the day that we met! The Kids Next Door know she’s a criminal. Tell me why she wanted Vibranium from you!”

“It was a simple business arrangement. She wanted to trade her magical medicines with my Vibranium, and she claimed to want to use it to improve her production line. No offense, Akko, but your accusations are very disrespectful. If I were any other king, I would shut this school down for your behavior alone, but all I want is to help you, and to be your friend.”

“I don’t trust you.” Akko stated firmly. “And I won’t work for you.”

“Hmm… that’s a real shame.” Mickey sighed. “Well, I suppose that’s your choice. Come on, fellas, let’s go home.” The king walked around the student as Donald unlocked the door with his staff. Akko’s heart was racing, for she found his calm demeanor to be terrifying.

As Mickey trekked down the hallway, Akko kept a safe distance behind them. The king’s trio were approaching the professors. “So, have you come to an agreement, Your Highness?” the headmistress asked.

“I’m afraid we haven’t, Ma’am.” Mickey replied with disappointment. “Your student is… a bit headstrong. Haha, she keeps accusing me of criminal activity!”

“Miss Kagari!” Finnelan shouted. “Is this true?!”

“B-But…” Akko shrunk back in fear, trying to think of a rebuttal, and yet, thinking back, Mickey never did directly express any evil intentions.

“Don’t worry, I won’t press charges. But I couldn’t in good conscience provide direct support to this school if she doesn’t work for me. Equivalent exchange, as the alchemists say-hoho!”

“And here I thought you were beginning to wisen up.” Finnelan fixed a sharp glare on Akko. “If you won’t accept His Majesty’s offer, then you should at least have the decency to apologize for these accusations!”

“Now, Anne, maybe this is a misunderstanding…” Ursula tried to reason.

“Oh, I’m sure it is.” Mickey replied kindly, his arms open. “Look, Akko, how about a nice Friendly Forgiveness Hug? Let’s put this awkward mess behind us and be friends.”

Akko was actually repulsed by the notion… but with the professors glaring at her so expectantly, she felt as if she had no choice. And yet, the act of doing so would be a serious wound on her pride and comfort. She hugged Mickey once before, and it would only be a simple gesture to do so again, even if she didn’t mean it… but still, Akko couldn’t shake off this worrisome feeling. “Miss Kagari?!”

Finnelan scared her out of her thoughts. “Y…Yes, ma’am.” And so, Akko began to calmly approach the mouse king.

While all eyes were transfixed on Akko, Donald Duck wore a wicked smirk. _Hahahahah! That stupid girl is walking right into his trap!_ The duck mage glanced at Mickey’s gloved hands, the palms brimming with light. _When King Mickey combines his lightbending with magic, he can warm anyone’s heart and erase any negative thoughts they might have about him. He already shook hands with all these teachers, so they’ll all be against this brat. Even if this girl is only a tiny threat, she’ll forget all about it once she hugs him. Quack!_

The closer she got to the smiling king, the more her worry increased. There was definitely something off about his demeanor, but she just couldn’t see it, and she would never be able to whip up an excuse to the professors. They were all expecting her to apologize… and there was no way around it.

“Keep your filthy hands off of Atsuko!” As if out of nowhere, Hannah and Barbara appeared to block Akko’s path. “You filthy rodent!” Barbara said.

“Wa-a-a-a-ah…” Mickey felt a stab to his heart.

“MISS PARKER!” shouted Badcock. “And Miss England! What is the meaning of this?!”

“Step aside right now, girls!” Finnelan ordered.

“No!” Hannah stated. “The only ones who can humiliate Akko are us! Turn us into beetles if you want, but we won’t let you near her!”

“We’ll have you expelled before that happens!”

“That won’t be necessary.” spoke Diana Cavendish. Akko about-faced to see all her friends (minus Sucy) behind her. The leader approached King Mickey and said, “Your Majesty, I must apologize on Akko’s behalf. As her leader, I specifically ordered her not to accept any offers from people we have little intel about. She is a valuable asset to our team and I simply did not want to lose her. So, if you have any intent to punish her… you must punish me as well.”

“Miss Cavendish…” Holbrooke and the professors were taken aback. Never had Diana offered to be punished on Akko’s behalf.

“That being said, King Mickey, you should know that I don’t trust you for even a second. The Cavendish Family has provided support to this school for generations, even when times were rough. I will continue to uphold that tradition, even if we have nary a gem to spare. Even _if_ we are forced to live under your rule.”

“Is that how you feel?” Mickey closed his eyes. “All right… I see how it is.”

“Excuse us, professors.” Diana brushed her hair and began to walk away.

“Come on, Akko!” Han and Barb forcefully grabbed her hands and dragged her.

“Hannah… Barbara… I can’t believe you did that for me.” Akko spoke lowly. She never would have thought her former bullies would come to her rescue.

“Yeah, well you _always_ need our help.” Hannah retorted. “You should be thankful that we tossed aside our cowardice just to do that.”

“Heh heh… Thank you.” A wave of warm emotions washed away the fear in her heart. “And you too, Diana.”

“It is my duty as the top student to help my classmates. Even if that entails standing up to my superiors.”

King Mickey stared in their direction with masked worry. _Just how much… do they know about my meeting?_

**Diana’s Room**

The teammates gathered in Diana’s room, the heiress proceeding to lock her door. “Hold on a minute, where’s Sucy?”

“Boo.” She appeared right behind Akko.

“Wah! Were you invisible or something?!”

“I was more than that, Akko.” Sucy grinned deviously. “The potion was a complete success.” She held up a potion of milky, mirror-like liquid. “By harvesting the Mute Shrooms from the Silent Isle, mixing them with Ghost and Vanish Shrooms, and filtering out the unpleasant effects, I finally developed a means of Complete Invisibility. When I drink this, I’m 100% undetectable. Not by Haki, not by psychic, not even to a mouse’s giant ears. No one would even notice if I were holding something.” She reached into her sleeve and extracted a tiny bottle between her fingers.

“What is it?” Akko stared at the silvery substance with curiosity.

“King Mickey’s memory.”

“Huh?!”

“I was with you during that entire meeting. I was waiting, hoping that you would mention Gruntilda. Luckily, you did, and when Mickey recalled his meeting with her, I was able to seize the memory without him noticing.”

“Un…Unbelievable. You’re amazing, Sucy!”

“I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re the best guinea pig I could ask for.”

“Hee hee hee!”

“Hopefully, with this memory,” Diana said, “we’ll be able to learn exactly what they talked about.” The heiress reached under a cabinet and lifted a silver bowl in both hands. She filled the bowl with water from her sink.

“What is this?” Akko asked.

“It’s a Pensieve. It is used to review a person’s collected memories.”

“Like in _Harry Potter_.” Lotte mentioned. “You must have read that, haven’t you, Akko?”

“I never got into _Harry Potter_ , to be honest. The main character was so talented that I just didn’t relate to him.”

“In any case,” Diana took Sucy’s bottle, “if this is the memory of Mickey’s meeting, we will be able to view it.” With that, Diana poured the silvery substance into the bowl. It began to move in a distorted fashion as silvery gas emitted. “Only two of us at a time. Would you like to join me, Akko?”

The witch nodded seriously. Both leaders stood opposite of the Pensieve and plunged their faces in.

In a second, they were falling into a misty chasm, setting foot as an office formed, and black smoke took the shape of Gruntilda, Mickey, and the latter’s guards. “Thank you for meeting with me, Your Majesty. I have a proposition I hope you’ll agree.”

“Well, could you please tell me in normal sentences? No rhyming, please.”

“Oh, if I must. Tell me, Your Highness… how do you feel about the Kids Next Door?”

“Hmmm… well, they certainly are heroic, and a lot of people seem to love them. I guess I’m sort of in that range… actually, I would love to become friends with them. With their help, I can definitely create my ideal universe.”

“They are a menace to people like us! We hard-working adults are constantly in fear over them ruining our hard-worked operations! It’s only a matter of time before the same befalls of you!”

“I don’t mean to point fingers, but I’ve never taken part in anything… illegal. And I have no intention of making an enemy of them.”

“Perhaps, King Mickey… but what if befriending the KND isn’t as easy as it seems? They are too powerful, especially with those wretched Firstborn on their side. Heck, they shrunk our entire galaxy! People are afraid of them! And that is why… my intention is to weaken them.”

“What are you planning, Gruntilda?” Mickey asked with narrowed eyes.

“All I want is Vibranium. That’s it.” Grunty told him in a slight whisper. “And then my associates will handle all the dirty work.”

“What associates?”

“The Kremling Krew, of course.” Akko and Diana gasped. “I will deliver the Vibranium to their hideout via my own Quickwarp. Once the operation is complete, the blame will be entirely on those wretched pirates. Both of us will go completely unscathed.”

“I want to know exactly what you’re planning!”

“To destroy the Supreme Leaders!” The witches’ pupils shrunk in horror. “Next Monday, all the leaders of the KND will be extinguished. Not only will that mark a fatal wound to their power and confidence, it will break the hearts of thousands of parents! No one will want their kid to be part of such a dangerous organization, and the kids will feel the same way! That will certainly make one less major obstacle to stand in your way.”

“You…You must be joking!” Mickey spoke with a loss of breath. “Why would I ever take part in such a heinous plan?!”

“Because as long as the Kids Next Door are in the way, we will never realize our respective dreams. After all, Mickey…” Grunty leaned her head ever closer and spoke more quietly. “I know that you’re after… _The Throne.”_

Whatever Grunty said, Mickey seemed to have lost his breath. Akko and Diana walked closer to hear the faintest whisper from his little lungs. _“Who told you about that?”_

“That isn’t important. However, this person entrusted the secret to me with the sole intent of bargaining with you, and if anything happens to me, he would spread the word to his underlings. To our knowledge, the KND has no idea… but we both know the KND have a very good chance at finding it. And if they refuse to join forces with you… then you will never find it. But if ever they were in deep despair, they would blindly accept the first miracle that brightens their darkness. Even… a little mouse like you.”

The girls were anxiously anticipating the next words out of his mouth. It seemed like Mickey couldn’t even decide what to say. The king closed his eyes and sighed calmly. “Give me some time to… think it over.”

A wicked grin grew on Grunty’s skull as she began to leave. In a swift motion, Akko and Diana were whisked out of the memory, gasping for breath as their faces dripped wet. “So, what did you see?” Lotte asked.

“Huff, Gruntilda is planning to destroy the Supreme Leaders.” Diana breathed. “Tomorrow on Monday, during the council meeting at Planet Wisp. I suspect Grunty is planning to wipe them out in one fell swoop.”

“That’s terrible! But how could she do that?!”

“Apparently, she’s planning to leave the operation to the Kremling Krew, so the crime will not be traced to her or King Mickey. Sigh, our best option is to warn our Leader and have him send word to the other planets.”

“Diana, the memory!” Lotte yelled as the substance flew out of the bowl.

“NO!” Diana tried to catch it on her wand, but the memory whooshed out of the room and down the hallway, and as the girls rushed out, they were horrified to see it fly straight into the mind of King Mickey.

Accompanied by the professors, they were shocked and confused by what that was. And the Nine Witches could see, despite his very strong and calm composure, the fear that was burning in King Mickey’s eyes. “…Headmistress Holbrooke?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I’m beginning to think your students aren’t well disciplined. I’m starting to think the Kids Next Door have corrupted their minds. Even Diana Cavendish, whom I heard such good things about, knowingly tried to steal something that was mine.”

“And here I thought Diana would become a positive influence on Akko.” Finnelan said. “But it was the other way around.”

“You don’t understand!” Akko shouted. “He’s planning something, him and Gruntilda-!”

“Akko, don’t!” Diana whispered, shutting her mouth. _“A memory can only return if the owner desperately wants no one to see it. Luna Nova could be in danger.”_

“Normally, I’m a very forgiving king… but if this many students are this undisciplined, I don’t know if I’ll feel comfortable supporting such a school.”

“Please, is there anything we can do?” Holbrooke asked.

“Hmmm… perhaps if these girls simply apologize… and promise with all their hearts to behave their selves.” Mickey sported a sweet, forgiving grin. “We can put this whole day behind us.”

“You heard him, girls!” Finnelan stated. “Apologize! That includes you, Diana!”

The fear that Akko felt moments before was now spread to all of them. They could feel so much malice concealed within his cute little form… and they had no idea what he would do if they defied his wishes. Even simple expulsion wouldn’t be enough to silence them.

“I know what’ll help!” Professor Ursula beamed, approaching the girls. “These girls just LOVE chestnuts! They’ll feel better after a bite of their favorite snack.”

“Chestnuts?!” Donald quacked.

Akko was baffled as the spectacled professor approached and placed a chestnut on her hand. Her crimson eyes met with Akko’s and gave a wink. “Now, I want you _all_ to take a bite, put on a happy smile… and apologize. ’kay?”

Once they were all handed a chestnut, the Nine Witches simultaneously bit. “Mmm… okay, King Mickey.” Akko smiled. “We sincerely… apologize.” And with that, they vanished into thin air.

“THEY’RE GONE!” Badcock screamed.

“They must have Apparated somehow!” Ursula exclaimed.

“No they didn’t!” Finnelan shouted. “You gave them Warp Nuts! Where did you send them, Ursula?! TELL US NOW!”

“Sigh… I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” The blue-haired witch bowed her head.

“Now, don’t be shy.” Mickey smiled sweetly. “I only want your students to be kept out of danger.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty…” Ursula faced him with a sharp stare, “but Miss Kagari seemed very suspicious of you. And I trust her judgment.”

**Ursula’s House**

The Nine Witches Reapparated inside a bedroom. “I knew it.” Lotte said, picking up the chestnut halves by her feet. “They were Warp Nuts, just like the ones Annabel used. This must be Professor Ursula’s house.”

“No doubt there.” Akko replied, taking note of the ‘Magic Fest’ poster above the bed, on which Shiny Chariot was displayed in her glory.

“Now that we have a moment, we should figure out a plan. We know that Gruntilda is planning to destroy the Supreme Leaders with the Vibranium and Venom Acid, but the question is how?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sucy asked. “The Vibranium Bombs that Constanze showed us will be filled with the acid. The ships will enter the atmosphere of Planet Wisp and launch the bombs at full speed directly at the Council H.Q.. The bombs will breach the building’s exterior and destroy them all in a ferocious explosion of gas and death, their skin and bones melting while their very souls fade from existence! HEEK KEEK KEEK KEE KEE!”

“That’s just scary enough to be true!” Barbara clattered her teeth.

“Guys, there’s a fireplace in the living room!” Amanda called. “We can use it to get to a KND treehouse! Have any Floo Powder?!”

“I always keep a handful with me.” Diana said, grabbing some powder from her satchel. “Sector SD!” She threw the powder into the fireplace, erupting emerald flames.

 _“NURT-NUR!”_ They fell back in fright when a giant caterpillar poked out of the flame, its nose big and segments colored like stoplights. _“NURT-NUR. NUR-NUR, NURT-NUR!”_

“It’s a Floo Bug!” Diana exclaimed. “Whenever criminals are on the loose, officers can have them patrol the Floo Network with permission from a superior.”

“You don’t think King Mickey sent them on US, do you?!” Amanda asked.

“I’m afraid so. Floo Bugs would let you pass if you weren’t the targets in question, but this one isn’t retracting!”

“Uh, guys?” Jasminka faced out the window with worry. They could hear sirens as Aurors began to fill the sky, police sirens blaring on their brooms.

“Grrrr, no way that rodent called the cops on us that quickly.” The Solaran gritted her teeth.

“Don’t you see, they were already active!” Diana deduced. “King Mickey must have expected this to happen!”

“Well, that’s a good thing!” Akko smirked.

“How do ya figure that?!” Hannah questioned.

“Because it means King Mickey KNOWS we can stop him! And we will! ’Cause I got the SHINY ROD!” She raised her prized possession skyward.

“That’s right!” Lotte beamed. “The Shiny Arc can open its own Ley Lines!”

“Well, fire that baby up and get us outta here!” Amanda demanded.

“’kay! Shinyyyy… ARC!” The wand flashed and became a bow of light. “Breach through time and space and take me to my destiny!” With pure passion, Akko loosed the arrow at the wall, exploding it into a blinding green vortex. “Hurry!” The Nine Witches dove into the Ley Line, which quickly closed as the Aurors burst into the house.

The girls fell out onto a grass field. The mountains were shadowed against the night sky, but they took note of their odd shape. “Wait a moment… Akko, where is this?” Diana asked.

“These must be the Hivory Mountains.”

“WHAT?! Akko, why would you bring us HERE?!”

“Because, Diana, I think we should try to stop Gruntilda. We have to stop her fleet from taking off!”

“The point of warning the Supreme Leaders is so they won’t gather at the meeting, thus making the operation fruitless!”

“But what if she has a backup plan?! If she can’t kill the leaders, she might target someone else, like Sector V, or ANY strong sector! We have to take the fight to her and stop the fleet period, it’s the only way!”

“By this time, she will have transported the bombs and destroyed her Quickwarp, don’t you get it?!”

“It doesn’t matter! Not if we can threaten her the same way she did Mickey!”

Diana gasped in realization. “Yeah. Whatever this ‘Throne’ thing is,” Akko continued, “it sounds like they don’t want anyone else to know about it. We go in there, we capture her, we force her to call off the attack.”

Diana bit her lip, almost contemplating this. “…No, that’s not good enough.” She shut her eyes. “The fact is, King Mickey knows that we know, too. He could sway the whole country, have them all against us. He could convince the professors to let him wipe our memories. And yet, if we expose him as a criminal, then he’ll have no reason to hold back against the Kids Next Door. We don’t know just what he’s capable of.”

“Then… it was the wrong choice coming here?” Akko asked with regret.

“…” Diana looked her in the eye and said, “I have a plan. I think I know a way we can stop Grunty’s plan and get Mickey to leave us alone. But we’ll have to do what you said, Akko. We need to capture Gruntilda. After all, this may be our best chance to save the Leaders, at the very least. Grunty must have been planning this for months, making the deal with Mickey and collecting the acid at the latest possible moments, so that she could strike with almost no one anticipating it. We’re the only ones who know, and Mickey must have suspected this, for we met him on the same day he met her.”

“I know.” Akko sighed. “I’m starting to think this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t pick a fight with him.” 

“The fault is mine as well, for swaying the Leaders’ view of him. But listen, if we hadn’t done this, we may never have uncovered Grunty’s plan in time, nor would we have determined Mickey’s true colors. We may have only gotten this far thanks to you, Akko. We need to finish this.”

“Wellp, that’s three leaders in agreement.” Amanda smirked, doing a fiery fist-palm. “Any objections?”

“None here.” Lotte shook.

“Uh-uh!” Jasminka agreed.

“Let’s do it!” Hannah said passionately, Barbara nodding.

“Hmph!” Constanze gave a thumbs-up.

“All right, team.” Diana faced the factory with a devious smile. “Let’s burn a witch!”

 

**Seriously, when was the last time Hexxus appeared in this series? But anyways, we’re entering the endgame of this fun little story! Next time, we take on Gruntilda and her officers!**


	8. Centuries Old Feud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nine Witches invade Grunty Industries!

**Oh my God, apparently the _Witch Academia_ manga had a chapter where Annabel suffers from writer’s block! XD It’s just like with Jasminka, I come up with ideas for these characters without realizing the manga did them! But that doesn’t compare to the new _One Piece_ chapter, which I’ll get into later.**

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Chapter 8: Centuries Old Feud

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**Hivory Mountains**

A golden statue of Gruntilda towered over the center of the factory lobby, reminding all the workers who was in power. At the feet of the statue was a silver one of Capital B, who was certainly not as powerful, but it was good enough. The vice-president in question had finished polishing his statue before facing up at Grunty’s. “Some day…” he spoke with a twinkle in his eye, dreaming of big things. “Eh?” He heard a door close and glanced right, seeing the closet. Curious, he marched over and opened it, but nothing was in here but janitorial equipment. “Must’ve been a draft.” He closed it and moved on.

In reality, Sucy Manbavaran was in the closet, having drunk a Complete Invisibility potion. Her friends on the other hand were shrunken inside her cloak pocket. “This feels so weird!” Akko whispered. “Like, we know Sucy’s carrying us, yet it feels like we’re just floating for no reason!”

“And I could totally squash you all for no reason.” Sucy remarked. She held up a map and cast a spell to shrink it, slipping it in her pocket. “Here you go.”

“Good, she was able to get a map from that bee.” Diana said, using Lumos to provide a light in the dark pocket. “Let’s see… Gruntilda should hopefully be up in her office, and the only way up there seems to be via the elevator. Otherwise, I assume she uses her broom. However, the Quickwarp, I surmise would be in the research laboratory.”

“What if it’s in her office?” Akko asked.

 _“Master Constanze says Quickwarps need a lot of energy to transport to other planets.”_ Stanbot said. _“The most energy would be transmitted to the laboratory.”_

 _“Hey, Bee Guy, we got a tooth to pick with you!”_ Hearing a valley girl’s voice outside, Sucy peeked outside, seeing the Totally Spies (Sam, Clover, and Alex) approach Capital B. “Your library is like a total bore!” Clover said. “There isn’t a single magazine!”

“What are you talking about, there are plenty of magazines!”

“Yeah, like anyone wants to read _Bees Weekly_.”

“It’s those spies again.” Hannah said. “They weren’t all that tough, but they also had a fourth one. And she was vicious.”

“Hey guys, the potion wore off.” Sucy whispered, the girls hearing her voice and looking up.

“I guess we’ll have no choice but to fight.” Diana said. “Listen, Constanze, Lotte, and Sucy will search for the Quickwarp and try to recover the Vibranium. Hannah, Barbara, Amanda, and Jasminka will fight those spies. I know it seems like overkill, but there’s always a chance the fourth spy will show up. If you manage to beat them, quickly go to join Lotte’s group; they’ll most likely need help. And Akko, you and I will go to capture Gruntilda. I’ll give everyone a map so no one gets lost. Geminio.” Diana cast a spell to make the map split into copies. “Is everyone ready?”

“Yeah.” Akko nodded seriously, the others sharing her determination.

“Good. Then… let the mission commence! ENGORGIO!”

“EHN!” Capital B screamed when the Nine Witches exploded out of the closet, casting spells in every direction to knock out the workers. “THEY’RE HERE!” B flapped his wings and flew into a door on a high walkway. “Kill them, you brats!”

“You could’ve said ‘please’!” Alex yelled.

“Let’s go, Akko!” Diana yelled, mounting her broom.

“Right!” Akko hopped on the back as they took off.

“Not so fast!” Sam tried to fly after them with a jetpack- “WHOA!” but a vine grabbed her by the legs and brought her down.

“Hey, we got a score to settle, you know!” Barbara remarked, the vine coming from her pot.

“Yeah, you’re looking at the new-and-improved Hannah-Barbara!” Hannah followed.

“And you aren’t going anywhere without dealing with us!” Amanda smirked, drawing her wand.

“Fine, if that’s how you wanna play it.” Sam replied, using a lipstick laser to cut the vine holding her and getting to her feet. “No way we’re gonna lose to wannabes like you.”

“What should I do, Amanda?” Jasminka asked.

“Keep the underlings from interfering, but also try to eat as much as you can. You’re our trump card in case this gets out of control, okay Jasminka?”

“Okay, Amanda. You can count on me!”

“Alright, team!” Fire brimmed in Amanda’s eyes. “Let’s rock and roll!” (Play “Here We Go” by Moonbaby!)

“Wait, that isn’t the right song!” Alex panicked.

“Too late, the fight’s already started!” Sam yelled.

 

_Boss fight: Totally Spies_

Alex flew up and swung a hardened Haki leg at Amanda, who countered with a flaming leg. They kept swinging kicks until Amanda decided to pull back, her leg aching a tad. The nails of Alex’s suit extended as she used Shave to zip up to Amanda and scratch parts of her body. Angered, Amanda lit her body aflame and spun on one foot, becoming a flaming cyclone. “Geez, cool down, much?” Alex remarked as she tossed a Freeze Bomb to freeze Amanda in place. The athlete mustered her Fire Chi and melted herself free, prompting Alex to impale her hip with her heel.

“Try to MAKE me, bitch!” Amanda channeled fire to her feet and dashed away. Smirking, Alex’s heels retracted, becoming fit for running as she raced after the firebender. Speeding around the room, Amanda glanced back and smirked, whipping her leg around and sending a flame wave. Alex gracefully leapt over it, doing a flip with her foot coming down on Amanda. The witch smirked and drew her flaming rapier, stabbing Alex’s leg.

“AAAAAHH!”

“You’re an athlete, walk it off!” retorted Amanda, performing an aerial kick to the jaw.

Meanwhile, Clover used Paper Art to dodge Hannah’s spells, then the spy Shaved behind her for a kick to the spine. “’Guess I’ll have to be light on my feet, too.” Hannah whirled her wand above her and changed her outfit into a white robe with a halo, angel wings, and Greek sandals. Her body became much more nimble, dodging Clover’s kicks with ease as she rolled behind the witch and cast the Jelly-Legs Jinx on her.

“WAH!” Clover fell over. “I will not let this outdated brat outdo me!” Clover switched on a helipack and flew overhead, grabbing lipsticks from her belt. “Try to outrun these!” The lipsticks fired homing energy balls, but when Hannah brought up a Protego, they easily shattered the barrier.

“Whoa, those are strong. Let’s see how they fair against my Mirror Gown!” Hannah switched into a shiny, reflective dress, and by spinning around, the beams bounced away. When she was turned, Clover swooped down and tackled the witch, slamming her against the wall and dealing some punches. Hannah zapped a spell to blast her away, but Clover had already attached a mechanical device to her chest.

“Get ready to be zapped!” Clover declared, seconds from pressing a button. Taking that as her cue, Hannah swiftly switched into a puffy dark-pink. The “Rubbergum” negated the Shock Bomb’s effect, and it burst afterwards. The Jelly-Legs Jinx wore off on Clover, who could again use Shave to zip over and kick Hannah from the side, the witch bouncing several feet away. “It’s time for Mime!” Hannah turned herself into a mime with a red- and white-striped shirt, black pants, and a white face.

“As if THAT’S gonna help you!” Clover zipped up for another punch, only for her fist to come in contact with an invisible wall. Hannah smirked, using mime maneuvers to build walls and a roof on every side of Clover, including a roof. The spy then looked confused as Hannah seemed to be holding an imaginary rope. Hannah pulled the rope, flattening Clover between two of the walls.

Sam released flying pods into the air that would hover above Barbara and attempt to zap her, but the witch dropped Piranha Plant seeds and had them grow to tall size, devouring the pods in single bites. Sam shot lipstick lasers to behead the plants, but Barbara had dropped Wriggle Plants, insect-like vines that crawled over to Sam and up her body. Disgusted, Sam Shaved and tried to shake them off, but they had climbed onto her head, distracting her enough so Barbara could hit her with a stun spell, which unfortunately affected the Wriggle Plants as well.

To the witch’s surprise, Sam was unphased, and the spy shot her in the shoulder with a lipstick laser. “News flash: we’ve been tied up so many times, we’re immune to stun spells!”

“That makes absolutely no sense!” Barbara yelled. She threw up a Protego when Sam zipped up to attack her, and before the shield could disperse, Barbara set up three Fire Flowers to shoot flames at Sam.

“Missed me, but you do not have to kiss me!” remarked Sam, flying overhead and plummeting down with a Screw Kick. “YOW!” The air seemed to burst and blow her back.

“I’ll leave that up to my Hiss Plant, thank you!” Barbara was holding a pink potted flower with a large, catlike mouth. The flower hissed and shot concentrated air bubbles, Sam swiftly dodging them as she Shaved up to Barbara and kicked the plant away. “YAH!” Sam yelped, realizing she stepped on a venus flytrap, which began munching her foot. By the time she could stab it with her heel and kill it, Sam was baffled at the sight of purple spores descending like tiny parachutes. “What is this, purple snow?”

“I thought you were the smart one.” Barbara remarked, casting a little spark from her wand. “Boom.”

The spark set off a chain reaction in the Bomb Spores, engulfing Sam in flames. “WAAAAAHH!”

“And they thought they could beat Diana’s apprentices. OHHHH HO HO HO!” Barbara laughed haughtily.

“Alright, it looks like we got their number.” Amanda smirked.

“That’s what YOU think.” Sam retorted, shaking the soot off. “But I got a little surprise: Clover, Alex!”

“Right behind you, Sammy!” The three spies grouped up. Much to the witches’ confusion, the spies hugged and smooshed their faces together.

“Uh… what’s going on?” Amanda asked.

“I ate something called a Fuse-Fuse Fruit.” Sam replied. “It allows me to scientifically merge with anyone!”

“And with the power of our friendship,” Clover followed, “our combined form will be invincible!”

“Just look at the way we press our faces together!” Alex concluded. The spies began to wobble and spin around, and with a flash, the three were now one. They were three times taller and overweight, shaking the floor with her massive feet. The pudgy fusion had brown hair, a pink top, and black shorts, and the shirt listed her name as ‘Betty.’ “Whoooh ho ho ho!” she giggled when her body wobbled. “I feel like a big, mushy marshmallow. I bet it would hurt pretty bad if I sit on you, whoh ho ho.”

“Ugh, what a monster.” Amanda glared. “Jasminka, we’re gonna need you for this. Are you all filled up?”

“Mmm.” Jasminka gave a thumbs-up. Putting her food away, Jasminka cast a spell to make herself round.

“Oooo, ho ho ho! Big ball!” Betty stomped over.

Amanda went into Fire Fury, twirling her leg with the intent to kick her ball-shaped friend. “Amanda, you’re gonna pop her like a balloon!” Hannah shouted.

“Amanda O’Neill goes for the goal! Will she MAKE IT?!” And so, with terrific power and passion, she KICKED Jasminka, striking Betty with the force of a cannonball. Jasminka bounced up to the ceiling and bounced down to hit her again, then Amanda ran in her path to kick her at the giant again, and Jasminka ricocheted around the room, hitting Betty over and over. “Time for a TOUCHDOWN!” Amanda leapt up, caught Jasminka on her feet, and blasted fire like cannons to shoot her down, striking Betty with greater force.

“BUUUUOOOOOHHH!” The supersized spy hacked vomit out, her body wobbling like a lava lamp before breaking into three again. (End song.)

“Ewwww…” Alex moaned. “Sam, I feel like your lunch ended up in my bladder. UECK!” Amanda stamped her in the head and knocked her out.

“I really hate rich little snobs like that.” Amanda spoke with a sharp glare. “Sigh… hey, I didn’t hurt you too badly, did I, Jasminka?”

“It’s okay, Amanda.” Jasminka smiled, her body having deflated. “I knew if anyone could do it, you could.”

“I still can’t believe they broke apart that easily.” Hannah said.

“I’ll tell you why they did.” Amanda put an arm around her friend, Jasminka’s pudgy cheeks giving a blush. “Even when they were fused, my bond with Jasminka was way stronger.”

“Okay, warmhearted moment over,” Hannah said impatiently, mounting her broom, “let’s go help Lotte’s group!”

“Right! C’mon, Jas!” The three took off in the direction Capital B flew. Barbara had the spies tied up by a Piranha Plant Snake, leaving them in the closet before joining her friends.

“At least we didn’t have to fight that purple spy, yet.” Barbara said in relief.

**Grunty’s Office**

Gruntilda and Mandy watched the fight on her laptop, then swapped screens to see Lotte’s group pursuing Capital B, and Diana and Akko headed for her office. “Eh… hold on a minute.”

“What is it?” Mandy asked snootily.

Grunty reached in her drawer for her list of Avalaran operatives. She flipped through and found Sector LN’s page. “Just as I thought… Diana Cavendish. As if the stars were granting my wish.”

“You mean you know her?”

“She is a descendant of one of Luna Nova’s Nine Olde Witches. The same as my ancestor, Brunilda. Hak kak kak kak.” She laughed. “It’s no coincidence that there are _nine_ witches invading our base. Crushing them will put an even greater smile on my face. I eagerly await the arrival of my ancient rival.”

“That’s cheating.”

“And YOU!” Grunty jabbed her finger at her. “I expect no slack when I order you to attack! Even against those would-be heroes, I expect no less from CP0.”

**In a western hallway**

Lotte, Sucy, and Constanze were in hot pursuit of Capital B, flying down unending hallways and passing countless rooms. “Ehn… they can’t be after me, can they? No, they must be heading for the Quickwarp. I don’t know how they uncovered our plan, but I’ll stop them here!” The bee slammed his body against a switch on the wall.

“Guys, watch out!” Lotte yelled, the trio pulling their brooms back as hatches opened on the ceiling.

“Gebede-boobah! Hebele-doo!” Hundreds of round, yellow creatures dropped from the ceiling, clothed in glasses and blue overalls. “BEDEBLAH! BANANA, BANANA!” The creatures amassed below the witches and formed towers, trying to munch them as they desperately cast spells to knock them off.

“Ehn hehn hehn! Our Minions will be the end of you!” Capital B declared, escaping further down the hall. “Just as they were almost the end of Disney!”

“Minions?” Sucy questioned, disgusted by the creatures. “Oh, yeah, they were the mascots for Illumination before Disney bought the company. Since then, they just disappeared.”

“They must’ve sold them to Grunty at some point.” Lotte figured. “I think now’s as good a time as any to try this.” She drew a purple Rainbow Monkey book from her satchel.

“What is that?”

“It turns out, Kirie Beatles from Sector V was a Ghost Whisperer, too. Even though she was mute, her voice could reach the spirits of Rainbow Monkeys. And only with this special song, that has been known for generations, can one summon them! Here it goes!”

_Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys_

_Oh so very round and super chunky!_

The Minions ceased, seeming delighted by her singing. Sucy and Constanze were appalled by the childish song.

_Bringing love wherever they go_

_Everyone’s made of a big rainbow!_

The spirits of the colored monkeys began to materialize and beat the ever-loving snot out of each and every Minion.

_Oh, red and orange… and pink and blue!_

Sucy couldn’t see the monkeys, but she relished in the sight of blood spewing from the Minions, their glasses forced into their eyes and their heads being eaten off as though they were bananas.

_Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys_

_We! Love! Yoooouu!_

“We’ll just leave them to you.” Sucy said. “Constanze, let’s keep going. Here, let’s use these.” She grabbed a Speed Potion and poured it on hers and Constanze’s brooms, the two flying at high speed.

Capital B fixed his eyes on a room up ahead. “In case they make it this far, I can trap them in this roo—OOF!” The bee was rammed by the two witches, crashing onto the floor of said room.

“I’ll take care of him! You go ahead!” Sucy yelled. Constanze gave a thumbs-up and flew to a door across the room. Capital B pressed a remote to seal the door, but Constanze sunk down and zipped under the gap just in time.

“EHN!” Capital B flipped up and smashed Sucy under his back before flying off. “What does it matter? Even if she gets into the Quickwarp, there’s no way of her taking on the Kremling guards.”

“Then I better take care of you quickly.” Sucy said.

“You’ll have a hard time with that!” B extracted a green potion. “I think it’s time for your 9:00 execution!” The vice-president chugged the potion down and grew to twice his height.

“Is that all? I could make a Growth Potion WAY stronger than that.”

“It’s better than my former insignificant size. In any case, I won’t allow you to ruin Gruntilda’s plan! I owe her too much for letting me into this factory, and I’ll defend it to the very end!” (Play “Final Beeting” from _Yooka-Laylee_!)

 

_Boss fight: Capital B_

“Get ready to BURST, little witch!” Capital B swooped over Sucy and stabbed his stinger down, but the potioneer dodged with surprising ease, her feet gliding across the room as she outran the overgrown bug. In truth, this was thanks to a Slippy Silk she slathered over her left foot, using her right to kick the floor and slide across it with ease. As Sucy skied away, she chucked red exploding potions at Capital B, his body turning black with soot as he tried to withstand the pain. “Ennh!” he grunted. “You won’t be treating my library like an ice rink when I honey-fy the floor!” The bee flew to pull a lever, oozing honey into the room from the ceiling.

Sucy’s feet ended up sliding into some honey, giving Capital B the chance to fly and sting her directly in the face. Sucy dodged her head left, and when B’s stinger got drenched in the honey-fall, she threw a potion over the ooze to solidify it, causing B to sink down with his stinger weighted. Sucy cast a spell to get her feet free, then cast “Reducio!” in attempt to shrink the vice-president.

“Nice try! But this Growth Potion makes me immune to size spells.” Capital B forced himself to fly up and then slam the hardened honey against the floor to break it. “Maybe this would serve as an alternative: the power of Dr. Clown’s Scatter-Scatter Fruit!” Sucy watched as his giant body broke into smaller clones, all smirking deviously with the desire to sting her. Sucy threw more Burst Potions, but the bees continued to divide until they were a swarm of regular bees. “Bet you never had THIS many angry bees on your tail!” The bees swarmed all around and stung Sucy from all corners, even trying to get under her clothes to ensure her whole body would swell.

However, Sucy wasn’t phased at all, merely trying to grab and squash as many bees as possible. “Hehn?! Bees, pull back!” They all swirled together into a single mass again. “Something’s wrong! You should be bursting like a bubble by now!”

“I’m immune to poison, dumbass. What’s a few little holes gonna do to me?”

“Then I’ll just make the holes even bigger!” Capital B divided into his larger segments, surrounding Sucy once again. Just as they swooped in for a simultaneous stab, the witch drank a whitish-blue potion and seemed to vanish. “Ehn?! Did she turn invisible?!”

“Over here.” The bees about-faced, seeing Sucy smiling wryly by a puddle of honey. “Hope you don’t mind, but this honey is getting annoying.” She poured more hardening potion around the honey, moving at breakneck speed to cover the entire room.

“Keep running, brat! Speed Potions never last long because the calories burn too quickly when you run!”

“They don’t burn as fast as you do.” Sucy smirked, pointing overhead as some Burst Potions dropped on them. The bees broke into smaller segments again, and Sucy drew a can of purple bug spray as she zipped around and released a toxic cloud around the room. The bees choked on the gas, so Capital B reformed into a larger form and pressed another wall switch to open the vents, sucking the gas out. “Huff, huff…” Sucy slumped on her knees, gasping for breath. “This potion is definitely better for Amanda…”

Capital B reformed into one entity, his rotten teeth a devilish grin. “So long, witch!” His stinger outstretched, B flew in for the kill.

Hearing the bee close in, Sucy stretched to full height and- “AAAAH!” B’s stinger was seen coming out of her stomach, drenched in blood.

“Hehn hehn hehn! I doubt you’re immune to blood loss! I’ll just shake ya around a bit until you fall apart.” B turned upside-down, shaking his behind as Sucy flapped about like a ragdoll. “Hehn hehn hehn- huh?”

He realized that Sucy ripped open the tip of his stinger and was pouring a pale purple potion into it. Sucy quickly shut the stinger and cast a spell to repair it. “UNGH!” B furiously tried to shake her off. “What did you pour into… mwuh?! EEEEHHHNN!” He began to writhe as his body shrank, causing Sucy to drop on the floor.

“Surprise… keh.” Sucy coughed, weakly turning to him with a smile. “That’s an Anti-Effect Potion that nullifies other potions. I was waiting for the perfect chance to get it inside you. Even if my methods were a little unorthodox… cough.”

“EEEEHHHNN! _Uwaaaaahh! Waaaaaahhh!”_ Capital B shrank out of his clothes, until he was the size of a thumb-sized bee. The chubby bug tried to lift his body toward the vents, but found himself trapped between Sucy’s long-nailed pale fingers.

“What’s wrong?” Sucy turned him to face her wicked grin. “Not gonna use your scatter power? If you do, I can easily destroy you all with a single spray.” She grabbed a jar and tossed the bee inside, quickly sealing it up. “For now, I’ll just keep you with me. You’ll make an _excellent_ guinea pig. Heek keek keek kee…” (End song.)

**Laboratory**

“I vonder vhat I am to call zis operation?” Von Kriplespac thought aloud. “How about ‘Operation: Bon Voyage,’ no no, too French, ja? Perhaps I vill go vith ‘Supreme Explosion,’ no no, not clever enough. Or I vill call it-”

 _“Von Kriplespac! We have trouble!”_ Grunty’s image appeared on the monitor. _“Get through the Quickwarp, on the double!”_

“Vhat, vhat the hell is happening, Mistress?!”

_“The Kids Next Door, they are here! Do not let them get near!”_

As if on cue, the door blew open. Constanze shot him a glare through the smoke, her gun loaded as she shot all the weasel guards in the room. “AGH!” Kriplespac acted quick and flipped a switch, deactivating the Quickwarp. “Ho ho ho! Very close call, ja, but you vill not be heading to Sauria so easi—LAAAH!” He was shot in the stomach.

“HURRRR!” roared Constanze, the Stanbots storming in and shooting mini lasers up at Kriplespac.

“No no! Vait vait! V-Ve can talk zis out, ja? Vone German to another? Y-You are German, ja? No? Can you please just STOP IT!”

Constanze gasped when the Stanbots were restrained by something. The robots levitated and flew at her like a swarm, leaving Constanze no choice but to shoot them down. “Oh ho ho! You did not know I vas metalbender, ja? Gives you disadvantage.” Kriplespac levitated the remains and launched them at Constanze, the mute witch running. “Run all you like, little vitch, but I vill not open ze Quickwarp until you die, ja? Vell, go on. Go die now.” Kriplespac flew some Stanbots around Constanze and was able to ensnare the witch and strangle her.

“Don’t worry, Constanze, we’re here!” Kriplespac gasped when flames burst into the room: Amanda, Lotte, Sucy, Hannah, Barbara, and Jasminka stood in the doorway.

“Careful, Sucy.” Lotte said, helping her friend to stand. “Give the healing potion some time to take affect.”

“Don’t act like the potion expert here.” Sucy said, weak of breath.

“Leave Constanze alone!” Amanda yelled, shooting flames at Kriplespac, dropping his control of the Stanbots. Constanze ran and leapt at the professor, yanking him out of his chair and holding a gun to his neck.

“Oh no no no no no, please do not shoot, do not shoot please!” the weasel wept. “You need me, ja? Y-You need me alive, you vant to use Quickwarp, ja?”

“HRMPH!” Constanze jabbed the gun against him.

“Okay okay, ja ja ja! I vill open it right now, yes, yes!” Constanze dragged the weasel over to the switch and flipped the portal back on. She then brought him before the device. All the while, Amanda smirked at Constanze’s violent nature. “Eh, excuse me, Sharpclaws? Z-Zis is Professor Kriplespac, o-open the Quickwarp, ja? I vould like to come over zere.”

_“Kriplespac? We begin operation already?”_

“N-No no, I need to do final checkup, ja, final checkup vould be good.”

_“Rawwrrrr. Okay. You come in now.”_

“Good, good, ja should all be good.”

“RAAAH!” Amanda dove into the Quickwarp, landing in a room filled with humanoid dinosaurs with horned helmets and swords. “Hey, she’s not the professor, get her!” The pirates charged at the witch, but Amanda combined her wand and rapier to create her golden sword and cut the dinosaurs down.

“We’ll guard this side of the warp.” Lotte said, she and Sucy staying behind.

The other witches leapt through, with Constanze still holding Kriplespac at gunpoint. More pirates charged into the room, Amanda and Jasminka combining their strengths to hold them back. “Alright, TALK!” Barbara yelled at the professor. “Where’s the Vibranium?!”

“C-Code MW66-V.”

“What?!”

“CODE MW66-V!”

 _“Acknowledged.”_ The witches whipped around at a large computer terminal with three screens. One of them displayed a squad of five Flying Krocks, their engines igniting as they took off for the heavens.

“AAAH!” Hannah screamed. “THE SHIPS ARE TAKING OFF!”

“Correct! Und zere is no STOPPING ZEM!” Mustering his metalbending, the professor willed the terminals to compress.

“UNG!” Constanze shot the scientist dead (or at least stunned him senseless).

“Dammit!” Amanda cursed. “He must’ve set them to attack a different target!”

“Hurf!” Constanze aimed her remote wand at the device and channeled her magic, beginning to steadily repair and restore it.

“Looks like you have a plan, Constanze.” The firebender smirked. “Alright, we’ll protect you as soon as you’re done!”

 _“HOOSHAVAK goo looshak, Steven?!”_ a voice rasped from the PA. _“Hick gorkak Kriplespac goo loosavak? (What is going on down there, Steven?! Why did Kriplespac launch the ships?)”_

“GENERAL SCALES!” cried one of the dinosaurs on the floor. “Higorko sukona—DAH!” Jasminka stomped his head and knocked him out.

_“GROOLAS FAK! (I’M COMING DOWN!)”_

“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.” Hannah said, shuddering.

“Hurry up, Constanze!” Barbara shouted. “I think their boss is coming!”

And right she was, for a pair of green-scaled claws shook the halls. He could smell the blood of the human intruders, longing to drench his claws with their blood.

_

King of the Kremling Krew’s Sharpclaw Division  
Bounty: 980,000,000  
GENERAL SCALES

_

**With Akko and Diana**

“Stupefy! Stupefy!” As the two witches flew down the corridors, the Cavendish left a trail of stunned guards in their wake.

Akko took the time to drink a blue potion called an Ether. “Making a Ley Line sure takes a lot of magic, but I think I’m all good.”

“Good, ’cause we’re gonna need it!” Diana yelled as a wave began to wash over from ahead in the hallway. The two witches transformed—Diana a dolphin and Akko a shark. Other sharks swam up to snack on them, but Akko bit back while Diana whipped them with her tail. Akko struggled to maintain the strong form, but when a shark bit Diana on the back, the red-eyed witch changed into an octopus, wrapping tentacles around the shark to squeeze it. Diana escaped and spotted a Water Stone on the ceiling, swimming up to ram the magic stone and caused the water to drain away. The sharks began flapping about on the floor, so the witches went airborne again to get away.

“You’re hurt!” Akko yelled, seeing the gash on her back. “Here, this will help.” She grabbed a Healing Potion and poured it on the wound, watching it shrink.

“Sigh, thanks.” Diana smiled. “Look, there’s the elevator!” They slowed to a halt and set foot before a golden elevator door with Grunty’s symbol. More Gruntlings tried to charge them, but Diana cast more spells to hold them back until the elevator opened. The two ducked in, and Diana used magic to quickly close the door.

“Phew, we made it!” Akko sighed, pressing the ‘Top Floor’ button. “Our match with Grunty is just an elevator ride aw-wah!” She looked back and down, shocked at seeing a fallen drink dispenser with a green duck’s head inside.

“Quack. Hello there. I’m Dr. Quack. Do you have an appointment?”

“Uh… yeah!” Akko replied nervously. “We, uh… sigh, I’m just gonna ask, what happened to you?”

“A freak accident. Hey, wanna take one of my quizzes?”

“No thank you.” Diana replied.

“People who come to meet Gruntilda usually have to get past me. I ate the Quiz-Quiz Fruit. I can turn any large room into a quiz room and force you to answer my questions. …As soon as I’m in a more comfortable position. Could you help me up?”

“Perhaps later.”

“Awww…”

With that, they could only wait patiently as the elevator rose ever higher. Akko tapped her foot, mindlessly studying the décor. She then studied her wrist. “Pretty long tower, huh?”

“Indeed.” Diana said.

They waited more. The music was rather pleasant and eased their minds a bit. “Doesn’t this remind you of that minecart cave we went to last year?”

“Yes, a little bit.”

“That was pretty boring, huh?”

“It was.”

They waited for a few more moments, and Akko began to grumble in impatience. Eventually, the music stopped. _Ding!_ The doors opened.

The two stepped into the hexagonal office as Gruntilda stepped around the desk, Mandy by her side. “Diana Cavendish… you have a lot of nerve to come here. What business have you with me, dear?”

“We’re on official Kids Next Door business. We won’t allow you to harm the Supreme Leaders!”

“So, you really _have_ discovered my plan. Curse that Mickey, I know he had a hand! …in this. But perhaps this was convenient for me… After all, Miss Cavendish, you and I have a history.”

“Yes, I’m well aware… Gruntilda Winkybunion. Descendant of Brunilda Winkybunion of the Nine Olde Witches.”

“HUUUH?!” Her eyes stretching, Akko looked between Diana and Grunty. “She’s related to one of the Nine Witches, too?!”

“You mean you STILL haven’t memorized all the Witches’ names?!” Diana shouted at her. “In fact, I could’ve sworn I mentioned this a few weeks ago!”

“Okay, okay, calm down! I’m not good at history, you know that!”

“The Nine Olde Witches should come naturally to a Luna Nova student, you dolt! Sigh…” Diana calmed herself and faced up at Grunty. “But yes, our meeting was no doubt fate. After the Nine Witches founded Luna Nova and began to teach classes, Brunilda Winkybunion became infamous for secretly teaching dark magic to students. This led to criminal activity, conducted by those students, from robberies, brainwashing non-mages, and even murders. Fortunately, the chaos ended when the culprit was found guilty.”

“And guess what wretched witch was responsible?!” Grunty asked, her skull wrinkling. “It was Beatrix Cavendish! Your ancestor was hailed as a hero, while my family was reduced to zero! Oh, but she couldn’t just leave it at that: Beatrix decided to place the Curse of Misfortune on poor Brunilda, ensuring that all her future deeds would end in punishment! The curse spread to her family, forever dooming the Winkybunions! Even her fellow Olde Witch, Lucinda Talzin, could not undo the curse! And because of our infamy, everyone detested me! I was forced to flee to Earth to study in Hogwarts, never to be allowed in Luna Nova or ANY school on Avalar. And with my education, through trial and tribulation, I founded Grunty Industries, and erased my ancestral history. You would never know how it feels to suffer, to have everybody fear and despise you, while you bask in your inherited riches.”

“Diana, did your ancestor _really_ curse Grunty’s family?” Akko asked.

“…” Diana released a sigh. “Yes. And on behalf of the Cavendish name, I wholeheartedly apologize.”

“The hell with your apology! I want you to break the curse! I know the spell, but only a Cavendish can undo it. So, remove my curse or my assassin here will slay you both!”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll remove your curse of my own free will.” With that, Diana calmly approached Grunty and drew a symbol in the air with her wand. “I, Diana of the House of Cavendish, hereby relinquish the curse that was cast upon you. Finite Incantatem!” The symbol flew into Gruntilda, her makeshift body shining with gold light. In a few seconds, the light vanished.

Grunty examined herself, her scowl showing suspicion. “That’s it? Something’s wrong. It feels like nothing happened at all!”

“Because nothing WAS wrong! My ancestor would never place such a curse on someone, even her own enemies. Your misfortune was as a result of your own actions! You’ve kidnapped, killed people, committed one crime after another, no matter how much you attempt to hide it! The fact that you are reduced to naught but a skull proves that you even created a Horcrux! With the hard work you devoted to building this company, you had many chances to begin anew, but you still follow the criminal path. You’ve brought bad luck upon yourself.”

“We’ll see who has bad luck when _I_ get through with you! Meet me on top of the tower, and we’ll settle our centuries-old feud once and for all! Mandy, you dispose of the extra!” Gruntilda mounted her broom and flew up through a hole in the ceiling.

“You mean I get the dumb one?” Mandy retorted. “This’ll be my easiest kill ever.”

“Hey, Diana?” Diana turned to her friend as Akko bowed her head in slight shame. “I hate to ask this, but… do you think you could help me beat her?”

“Are you kidding?!” Mandy shouted. “You’re too scared to fight me YOURSELF?!”

“Shut up! I’m sorry, Diana, it’s just… I’m not good enough to hold a show all by myself. I don’t think I can beat her without at least one of my friends… and since you’re here, I thought…”

Diana tipped her chin up, facing Akko with a smile. “Of course I’ll help you, Akko. But you should know, I don’t know the first thing about showmanship. However, I am great at following instructions. So… would you please guide me?” Akko beamed and gave an ecstatic nod. “Good.” Diana lit her wand and touched it to her head. _I will use Telepathy Magic so you can communicate instructions to me in secret._

_Good! Then here’s what I want you to do…_

“Look, you girlfriends talked long enough.” Mandy fixed a glare. “You got three more seconds before I cut you down.”

“Then wait NO LONGER!” Akko danced into view, twirling the Shiny Rod as it shone like the stars. “Because it’s time for a special private performance by the one and only SHINY AKKO!”

“With special guest star, Diana Cavendish!” And both witches cast their wands up at the ceiling, transforming the office into an illusion of outer space. Mandy was nearly taken aback when it seemed like they were floating over the planet.

Diana sprinkled some magic to turn their uniforms a shiny white. “You can handle the special effects.” Akko said. “Leave the hard part to me.”

“Hm hm, understood.”

“Ugh…” Mandy scoffed in utmost disgust, cracking her neck. “I am so assassinating every magician that I see from now on.”

 

**Okay, so what I said about _One Piece_ : they TOTALLY used my ideas for a mysterious King of the World Government, a “Light” that has to be extinguished, and some implied power within his eyes! Like, Oda probably had that idea for a while, but the resemblance is SO uncanny, and it feels so euphoric that I would have the same idea he would use! Shit, The King even has Pain’s Rinnegan eyes, and I used Pain’s theme when King Andrew appeared!**


	9. In Return For Our Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Akko battle Mandy Beret with the power of showmanship! Afterwards, Diana faces Gruntilda alone.

**At first, I planned for Akko to fight Mandy by herself, but logically, she didn’t have a chance in Hell. Also, I just HAD to get this chapter up today, because June 25 is Akko’s birthday!! Play Chariot’s Theme from _Witch Academia_!**

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Chapter 9: In Return For Our Silence

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_Boss fight: Mandy Beret_

“Metamorphie Faciesse!” In a flash, Akko became a tiger with a springy tail, giggling gleefully as she bounced around the artificial space. Every time she bounced, there was a puff, and another Tiger Akko formed, and they all began bouncing separately. Mandy grit her teeth in aggravation, shooting all the copies with Finger Pistol, and when one of the animals tried to jump on her, Mandy swiftly dodged and forcefully thrusted her fingers at Akko’s chest. Another POOF, and Akko became a little frog that landed on Mandy’s hand, but the assassin easily smacked her off—Akko became an armadillo upon landing, rolling around the room as Diana continued to clone her with Doubling Magic.

Tired of this game, Mandy set her sights on Diana, using Shave to get beside the heiress, who swiftly threw up a Protego. Mandy was able to cut through the shield with a few strong kicks, but that’s when a chimp pounced on her head and gnawed at her ear. “You LITTLE-!” Mandy stabbed her fingers at it, but the chimp poofed. “Damn it, where’d you go now-…?!” When she looked at her fingers, she spotted a little centipede with colored segments. _“Hi!”_

“Eeek-!” Mandy didn’t have time to react when Akko BURST into her normal form and kicked her in the face. Mandy recomposed and retaliated by zipping behind Akko and tipping fingers to her neck. “Time to skin you like the animal you- huh?!” Some kind of slime got on her hand. Akko turned, her face having become a frog’s. “RIBBIT!” She latched her tongue onto a further ceiling and flew away from her grasp, and in Mandy’s attempt to follow, the spy stumbled on her own jelly legs. “You dirty cheater!” she shouted at Diana.

“It’s okay!” Mandy then looked over at Akko, whose legs were also jelly. “It’s just Jelly-Leg Syndrome! All we need is a little air!” And so, she began to puff air into her thumb, and Diana used the Inflation Spell on Akko’s legs, an act that Diana felt ashamed of doing. “Whoooaa!” Akko’s legs deflated, but they had been stretched three times longer. In her attempt to gain balance, she poofed, becoming a giraffe with long legs and a short neck. “Hey, guys, does this look right to you?”

“Pffff-!” Diana tried to hold in her laughter. Mandy’s head pounded out of anger, using Life Return to restore feeling in her legs, but in the time it took to do this, Akko changed back into a human and called, “Phaidoari Afairynghor!” Her Shiny Rod changed into the Shiny Ax, which she brought down with great vigor in attempt to sever Mandy in two. The spy was able to dodge with a Shave, but was shocked to see Akko transform into a chubby white, glowing bird. With Mandy distracted, “HYAH!” the real Akko was able to successfully impale the Shiny Ax into her skull.

Mandy’s life flashed before her eyes, horrified that it would all come to end so suddenly. …But to Mandy’s complete astonishment, Akko withdrew the ax, and Mandy felt no wound in her head. “What the hell?! The damn ax didn’t do a THING!” Mandy tried to cut her with a Tempest Kick, and Akko changed into a mouse to avoid the distorted airwave. “HEHN?! What gives…?” Mandy asked, feeling some aching pain in her head.

“The Shiny Ax isn’t designed to physically hurt people.” Akko stated. “It’s designed to cut your Chi Paths.”

“My…My CHI?!”

“Don’t worry, they’ll naturally repair their selves. But hopefully not before I can finish the show!” Akko turned into a cheetah with a unicorn’s head, speeding around the room before trying to impale her horn into Mandy, who used Paper Art to nimbly avoid the attacks. Akko turned into a Puffy Blowhog to blow Mandy back with her strong wind, so the spy made herself heavy again and used Shave to zip over and puncture Akko with a Finger Pistol. The Blowhog POPPED into stars and confetti, and Akko used the Shiny Rod to make the stars fly up around the room in circles.

The stars flew to Mandy and exploded into fireworks, the assassin shutting her eyes and trying to Shave out of there. When she cracked her eyes open, she could see Diana panting with slight exhaust, her wand continuously glowing. Mandy used Paper Art to evade the fireworks as she thought, _Clearly, that blonde one is better at magic than the Asian one. All these fancy effects must be HER doing. I’m just gonna scrap everything and attack her-_

“Mayenab Dysheebudo!” Akko turned the Shiny Rod into the Shiny Sprinkler, and Diana used Aguamenti to fill it with water, which she then transformed into tea. The sprinkler made tea fly all around, causing Mandy’s Paper Art body to become damp and heavy. Mandy wanted to question the purpose of the tea, but now Akko was twirling in place and letting the droplets fall on her tongue. “Wouldn’t it be great if it rained tea like this every day?!”

“I can’t TAKE this, anymore!” Forgetting Diana for the moment, Mandy zipped up and grabbed Akko by the neck. “I won’t be treated like some sort of JOKE! …?!” Then, Akko’s head began to inflate wider and wider.

“You must forgive her.” Diana said. “She is a real airhead.”

 _POP!_ Another burst of confetti, and Akko began zooming around Mandy’s head in the form of the rainbow bee. Mandy brushed away the colorful trail in a rage, but then Akko became an adorable pig with a lion’s mane, scratching the mane in a feline fashion. “AGH!” Mandy was bound in magical rope from Diana’s wand.

“It seems that our audience is quite captivated.” Diana smirked.

Akko hopped over and recovered the Shiny Rod. “Then it’s time for the big finale! Arae Aryrha!” Akko ensnared Mandy with the Shiny Rope. Diana set the end on fire with harmless gold-blue flames as Akko whirled her around and around the air. “This is a wonderful world where dreams can become reality! Believe in yourself and your greatest wishes will come to life! THAT… IS YOUR…” And with one final, passionate swing, Mandy CRASHED onto the illusory planet like a comet, “MAGIIIIIIIIC!”

Mandy was still conscious, struggling to break free of the Shiny Rope. “Tempest!” Diana cast a Shock Spell to weaken her further, the illusory space now disappearing. Mandy looked up, horrified as both witches had their wands trained. “Thank you for attending this special private performance!” Akko announced. (End song.) 

“Ngh… no… No, this can’t be how it ends! I can’t die here! Please, I was just following Grunty’s orders! I don’t like working for that old hag, I’m just doing it because my boss ordered me to!”

Akko and Diana exchanged a disbelieving glance. The former faced down at her and said, “Let me ask you something, Mandy… what is it you want more than anything? What do you dream about at night?”

“What do you think?! I dream about money and boys, and having a fancy private house where no one bothers me!”

“Is that REALLY all you dream about?!” Akko aimed her wand in a threatening fashion. “How could you be an assassin, killing so many people just for such petty things?!”

“AAAH!” Mandy shut her eyes and cried, “I just want people to respect me! You don’t know how lucky I was to get into CP0. I trained my ASS off to master Rokushiki, I didn’t think anyone would care, and there they were! I can’t believe it has to end like _this_ …” The tears started to wash away her makeup.

“Hmm…” Akko sighed in disbelief. She didn’t know whether to believe her or not. “I really don’t approve of what you do. Assassinations… killing people. When I became an operative, I knew I would have to start fighting enemies… but to tell the truth, I never liked hurting people with my magic. I want to use my magic to make people happy, to help them forget their sadness and remember what it’s like to laugh. I want to inspire people to live for their dreams. So, even though I have to fight people, I’m certainly not going to kill anyone.”

“Grrrr… You don’t know a damn thing.” Mandy hissed. “You think just because you Kids Next Door saved the universe, everyone can be happy. But people are still afraid, still afraid of the power they don’t understand. And that includes little brats like you.”

“Yeah yeah, I already know. That’s exactly why I have to do this. I’m going to be a witch—an operative—that makes people happy. Because,” she poofed and changed into a mouse, “even a little mouse can bring smiles if they just dream BIG!” And then she poofed into a rhino and STOMPED Mandy’s head, knocking her out.

She reverted to human form and gasped for breath. “Sigh… Hopefully, my shows won’t always end that way.”

“Hm hm hm.” Diana giggled. She said nothing for a moment, only staring at the Japanese witch, her vibrant smile warming Diana’s heart. “…Akko…” Diana bowed her head slightly, blushing. “I…I wanted to tell you something…” She fiddled her fingers, much to Akko’s curiosity. Never had Diana assumed such a demeanor. “I…I wasn’t sure how to bring this up… but I think…I think I want to-”

“I know what you’re gonna say, Diana!” She looked up with a soft gasp. “You were gonna say you acknowledge me as your equal, too! Right?!”

“…” Of course Akko would make that mistake. Diana huffed and turned away, “I was going to say you did a great job, but I can see your ego’s inflated.”

“Is it really that hard to say that?!”

“To someone like you, especially.”

“Awwooooo.” Akko’s cheeks puffed.

“Hm hm…” Diana adored her frustration. Both girls smiled, Diana facing up at the ceiling. “Well… it’s time to stop Gruntilda.”

“Do you need some help?”

“You can rest for now, Akko. I have enough magic to defeat her. But if I need you, I’ll call for you. Promise.”

“Okay, Diana.” She nodded affirmatively. “I believe in you!”

“Yes…” Diana shut her eyes and remembered that wonderful night 11 years ago. “Believing is my magic.”

Akko embraced her friend in a hug. “That’s right. Now, show her what a Magic Deficient witch is capable of!”

Diana returned the hug, feeling each other’s warmth. Being this close to Akko really make the butterflies in her heart start fluttering. “This will be over in a moment.” Diana assured, releasing Akko. “Just wait for me!” With that, she mounted her broom and flew to the top of the tower. (Play “Final Battle” from _Banjo-Kazooie_!)

The second Diana was above the roof, the hatch closed, and Diana landed to face Gruntilda directly. “How I’ve always loved my tower, where I feel at full height and power!” Diana rolled her eyes, tired of this shtick. “Nowhere here for you to run, until Grunty’s all through with her fun! No more machines, no more mechs,” Grunty drew her Haglock, a gun-like wand with a witch’s hat for a cock, “for it’s Grunty’s turn to GIVE YOU HECK! RAK KA HA HA HA HA HA!”

 

_Boss fight: Gruntilda Winkybunion_

Gruntilda whipped her wand and fired blue, sparkly puffs that were intended to blow Diana over the edge, but the heiress whipped quick counter-spells to defend herself. Sadly, one of the puffs hit her and nearly pushed her over, but she regained footing and swiftly dodged the stone spikes that erupted along the ground via Grunty’s magic. Diana casted a brimming white snake from her wand that gnashed at Grunty’s body, and when she destroyed it, she was too late to dodge as Diana cast Ventus to try and blow Grunty off herself. The Hag acted quickly and cast Epoximise to glue her own feet to the ground, using her other hand to hold her hat, but Diana cast Reducto to explode that spot and send Grunty flying a few feet.

“Here it is, a homing spell, will track you down and give you hell!” Gruntilda formed an electric fan and launched it at Diana, who cast Protego to block it. While the shield was successful, it shattered upon impact, making Diana dizzy for a moment. The Hag aimed her wand up and spun around, casting small meteors that flew in random directions, inevitably to target Diana’s spot, the prodigy jumping and dodging each one. Grunty repeated the attack a few times before attempting to cast “Expelliarmus!” but Diana dodged the spell and cast her own, successfully disarming Gruntilda.

Diana smirked, wand trained on the wandless witch. “You cocky brat, I’ll have you learn: my body is a magical urn! This artificial flesh that I inhabit, has robbed MANY of their magical talent!” And so, with her own hands, Grunty began to launch Disarming Charms left and right, Diana reacting quick to deflect them.

“So, you’re saying you absorbed the magic of others to use some phony wandless magic? I wonder just how many dreams you’ve stolen! Glacius Incendio!” The mix of Fire and Ice Magic created steam, shrouding the area in mist, and when Gruntilda cast Ventus to blow it away, the wind was coming for Diana. “Reflega!” A shield blinked around the heiress for a brief second just as the wind hit, causing it to return to Gruntilda.

“EEEEHH!” The witch was blown over the edge of the tower. “Accio Lardmaster!” Gruntilda’s faithful broom, which had a face, swooped by and caught her, lifting her above the tower. She conjured another homing spell, and in the time Diana remained in her Protego, Grunty swooped down to retrieve her Haglock. Casting Fire Magic on her broom, she began to zoom circles around the tower, crying _“HEEEE HEEEE HEEEE HEEEE”_ as she left clones in her path, their squeals echoing.

Diana was quick to evade as the clones swooped down at her, each one disappearing afterwards. The real Grunty had a brighter color, so when that one swooped down, she seized the chance to blast Confringo and send her falling. Lardmaster caught its master, and Gruntilda took to the skies. Waving her wand around, she stirred the clouds into a storm. “The Forest of Thorns will be your tomb, should you remain on land and meet your doom!” Lightning struck down around the tower, growing black, thorny trees. Diana quickly retrieved her broom and flew up.

Smirking, Gruntilda began to aim the lightning at Diana, the heiress maneuvering gracefully on her broom. Gruntilda then latched a magic tether rope to Diana’s broom, then cast the lightning spell along it to induce the heiress with electricity. Diana withstood the sensation and severed the rope, attempting to soar far away from Grunty, trying to banish the electric from her system. The Hag ignited fire on her broom and flew to one of the factory’s gas clouds, bundling the poison into a ball of concentrated air. “This Ball of Gas smells so bad! Next time, you’ll learn not to make Grunty mad!” She then boosted after Diana, who panicked at the sight of the Super Gas Bomb. Diana desperately fired spells to destroy the bomb beforehand, but Gruntilda was able to maneuver the gas, and once she was close enough to Diana, she released the bomb and set it off with an explosive spell.

Diana protected herself in a Protego, but Grunty had launched her homing spell through the smoke and shattered the shield. Diana inhaled and choked on the smoke, falling off her broom and threatening to splatter on the factory roof. Diana was able to catch her breath and regain her senses in time to cast “Molliare!” aiming down at the roof to soften her landing. “Accio Broom!” She summoned her own broom afterwards and began to shoot straight up to Gruntilda.

“TEMPEST!” Both witches blasted lightning at the other, the spells meeting as they poured every ounce of strength to breach the other’s hold. “Nnngh!” Diana decided to drop the spell and evade Grunty’s, then the Hag fired rapid fireballs, along with Speed Magic to make them fly faster. Diana dodged each flame with the beat of her heart, growing weary from having used so much magic. That’s when Gruntilda shot over and rammed the Cavendish herself, and Diana did not recover before Grunty spun and whipped her off the broom with the brush of her own.

Diana plummeted into the forest of thorns still on top of the tower, leaving several cuts in her flesh. Grunty willed the thorns to wrap around Diana and bind her limbs. “I’ll cleave you in two with this spell, and Diana’s blood I will smell! SECTUMSEMPRA!” A white slash lashed out of her wand, bound to sever Diana’s body in half.

“REFLEGA!” Still holding her wand, Diana cast the reflective shield just in time, the spell bouncing back and SLICING Gruntilda’s body in a clean cut. The spell just barely missed her skull, but her artificial build was now in pieces. Diana began to use magic to make the thorns retract, marching up to the severed skull of Grunty. “Now, I’m going to ask you something, Gruntilda. What do you know of—hu-!” Diana was shocked when a pink Gruntilda ghost flew out of the skull.

“FORGET that body, it was getting old!” the ghost declared, soaring away from the tower. “I’ll shop for another, made of solid gold! RAK KA HA HA HA HA HA!”

“I knew it!” Diana grabbed the skull, mounted her broom, and chased after the ghost. Grunty saw her coming, flying ever faster and shooting spirit balls at the Cavendish. “I remember reading that undead beings could abandon their own bodies, including Horcrux users. But you won’t be leaving that easy!” Diana began to inscribe symbols on Grunty’s skull via magic, all the while evading her spirit balls. “There! Now… Spiritus Eram Concludens in Carcerem!” A great white beam flew from Diana’s wand.

Gruntilda whipped around with a gasp, quickly sucking in breath and blasting a powerful Ecto Beam. Diana mustered all that remained of her energy to fight the beam. “NOOOOO! You’ll never take ME! Gruntilda Winkybunion is IMMORTAAAAAAAAL!”

“As Future Head of the House of Cavendish… I will not allow your crimes to go unpunished!” Then, with one final burst of magic, Diana finally penetrated the Spirit Beam and trapped Gruntilda!

 _“EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH!”_ The spirit was slurped into her own skull like a vacuum. (End song.)

“Huff… finally… oh…” Diana was no longer able to fly, so she took the fall.

“Foolish girl, I’ve still won! When you’re a puddle, I’ll have… fun?” But to Grunty’s misfortune, Akko Kagari had caught Diana by the arm on her own broom.

“Do you need me yet, Diana?” Akko asked with a smile, riding the Shiny Balai.

“Sigh… Thank you, Akko.” Diana returned with a softer smile. “I knew I could count on you.”

Akko quickly returned them to the tower before her own magic exhausted itself. “Now, listen, Gruntilda… I know you persuaded King Mickey to give you Vibranium, and I know how you were ultimately able to convince him.”

“You…You do?!”

“Yes. Now, I want you to tell me exactly what The Throne is.”

“I have no idea what it is. My master just told me to say it to Mickey, believing he would have to be one of the few people to know its meaning. And like my master, Mickey wants as few people to know about it as possible. Especially… you KND brats.”

“It’s that big a deal, huh?” Akko asked.

“Perhaps it is… but now, it matters not to me. Now that my end will come by your hands…”

“Don’t you know who I am?” Diana asked. “I am the descendant of Beatrix the Affectionate, she who was kind to friends and enemies. It is far above me to kill someone, even one who should already be dead. However, I would like to believe there’s still hope for you, Gruntilda. I am aware that you can create artificial worlds, and you have offered those worlds as sanctuary to otherwise homeless inhabitants. As despicable as you are, there is good in you.”

“What of it?”

“I intend to find your Horcrux one day and destroy it, but I will give you the chance to repent for your crimes. And if you are truthful… I will create a new body for you to inhabit until your natural death comes.”

“Gehhhh. As if I would trust a word you say!”

“Well, I tried.” Diana sighed. “For now, I’ll just make you forget about The Throne altogether. Obliviate!”

**Saurian base**

Amanda’s group had swept the Sharpclaw Pirates out of the room, and Hannah and Barbara conjured a magic barrier to block out any reinforcements. “RAWR!” the dinos roared, furiously banging on the barrier all at once. (“Open this door, you mangy meatsacks!”)

“I don’t know what he’s saying, but I find it offensive.” Barbara remarked.

“Urgh, hurry it up, Constanze!” Amanda ordered, readying her sword in case the worst should happen.

“Hmmm…” Constanze focused intently, heart racing as the monitors were still repairing. “Hm!” Finally, they came back on. Constanze hurriedly hooked a Stanbot up to the device and used her own magic in attempt to hack it.

_“Master Constanze, it appears the Flying Krocks are being remotely controlled by a satellite that can range across galaxies. Their target trajectory appears to be Milky Way Galaxy.”_

“Hm!” Constanze was horrified, knowing Planet Earth was in that region. They could either be headed for Sector V or any remarkable sector; either way, she had to stop it, and so she began to hack the device.

“HRAAAAACK!” thundered a voice from down the passage. (“What are all you fools DOING out here?!”)

(“Forgive us, General Scales! These witches locked us out, and we can’t get back in!”)

(“You useless idiots are lucky I came to oversee this plan. I’ll handle it from here.”)

“Guys, the boss is coming!” Hannah cried. “Whoever ‘General Scales’ is, I don’t think we’ll be able to hold him back!”

“How much longer, Constanze?!” Amanda shouted.

“Grrrrr!” Constanze began sweating, using every ounce of focus and brainpower into hacking the device. “Gggghhhhhh… HNN!” A bolt struck when she seemed to crack it.

“HRAAAAAAHH!” At last, General Scales was before the doorway, roaring at the terrified Hannah-Barbara. “Skiah PALUUK! (I’ll skewer you ALIVE!)” The Dino King used Haki and SMASHED the barrier in one hit.

“RAAAAH!” Amanda blasted a constant flame at the boss, while Han and Barb used whatever magic they could muster to hold back the underlings. Scales withstood the pain and slashed his sword at Amanda, who raised her own blade in defense, only to be knocked down by his superior strength. “HUUUURR!” Jasminka tackled the humanoid carnivore and tried to push him back with all her strength, but Scales raised his left arm and dug his artificial metal claws into her back, leaving a gash. “JASMINKA!” Amanda cried.

Scales raised his claw and licked the blood off. _Rah hah hah! Now that I’ve tasted her blood, the power of my Prey-Prey Fruit will activate! This girl will emit a luscious scent that we animals find irresistible, compelling them all to turn their sights and try to feast on her at all costs! And if I continue to smell the blood from her wound, she will smell so sweet that even her comrades will turn on her!_ Scales continued to sniff the wound, eyes closed in euphoria. _I don’t know how Dr. Clown makes these ‘Nen Fruits,’ but they certainly… wait…_

In the few seconds that Scales contemplated all this, an unusual feeling overcame him. _This…This taste… it’s so… WONDERFUL!_ His eyes shot open, having turned a glowing pink.

“W-What’s with his eyes?!” Hannah panicked.

“Haaaaaahk! (This taste is so wonderful! How could I devour such a beautiful thing?!)” To Jasminka’s utmost disgust, the Kommander bent down and hugged her tenderly. “(Please forgive my rashness, my sweet. I will do anything to make up for it.)”

“Is he… in _love_ with Jasminka?” Amanda asked with disgust.

“She smells delicious!” a Sharpclaw said, licking his teeth as they looked at her ravenously. “Must EAT!”

The second the pirates tried to attack her, Scales viewed them with rage and mercilessly cut them down with his sword. “(ATTACK MY PRECIOUS AND YOU WILL DIE!)”

“Hur!” Constanze latched a timed bomb to the terminals and ran for the Quickwarp.

“I think she’s done! Hurry, let’s go!” Hannah yelled as she and Barbara dove into the portal. While Scales was attacking his men, Jasminka ran into the portal, and Amanda was quick to follow, and the timed bomb detonated the monitors.

“(WAIT, my precious!)” Scales tried to pursue, but only his head was able to fit into the Quickwarp. “(I haven’t had the chance to-!)”

Lotte commanded the Rainbow Monkeys to punch the dinosaur back in, and shortly after she destroyed the Quickwarp. “So, what happened?! Did you stop the fleet?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Constanze was working on it.” Amanda replied.

_“Master Constanze confirms that the mission is accomplished.”_

**Across space**

The five Flying Krocks zipped over the atmosphere of Earth. Sector V’s alarms went off, the kids rushing to the Mission Room. _“ALERT! Unidentified aircraft detected.”_

“They look like Krock ships!” Aurora observed.

“Is it the Kremlings?!” Mason asked.

“Let’s call Cheren!”

However, the Krocks quickly flew away from Earth and entered hyperspace, coming out in Galaxia. They zipped over Coruscant, triggering military alarms as ships began to pursue them. “They’re going into hyperspace, track them!” a pilot yelled.

They zipped over Planet Wisp. “Unidentified aircrafts in our sky!” an Irken yelled. “Contact Tallest Zim!”

And now, the Krocks were headed to Planet Avalar. As King Mickey was sitting in his balcony, drinking tea and gazing at the stars, five shooting stars could be seen. “Huh?” Grabbing binoculars, he had a clearer view of the five aircrafts. “It…It can’t be! SOUND THE ALARMS! Disney Town is in danger! THE VIBRANIUM BOMBS-!”

But just as it seemed they were going to destroy his precious home, the ships whisked over the kingdom and out of the atmosphere. “W…What just happened?!”

At last, the ships were headed to their destination: Planet Bobopolis. As Josuke was out for a leisurely walk, enjoying a day where nothing could go wrong, he faced up at the five aircrafts that had breached their atmosphere. “Oh, shit.”

A great explosion engulfed a vast radius of the bizarre world, a gargantuan cloud of toxic that spelled death for all.

And then, euphoria, for the explosion changed into a rainfall of videotapes, CDs, games, books, and cassettes. The impact of the bombs had brought forth La Revolución de Media, creating an overabundance of all media devices. There were so many of each kind that they eventually began to overpopulate, and were forced to wage war in order to decide who gets to stay. Unfortunately, no one paid attention to it because they were all playing on their phones.

Also, the gas turned everyone’s hair into Ronald McDonald hair, and Josuke was not spared this fate. “NOOOOO! It took me 10 whole years to find a purple pompadour stylist! WHOEVER DID THIS, THEY WILL PAY!!”

**Hivory Mountains**

“What?! You made the ships crash on Bobopolis?!” Akko exclaimed.

“Of course!” Amanda fist-palmed. “It’s impossible to die on Bobopolis, so nobody could’ve gotten hurt!”

“Humph!” Constanze thumbed-up.

“Are you really certain?” Jasminka asked, worried.

“We can only hope this is the case.” Diana said. “Now, we have to get out of here. We must head to Earth and inform Sector V of what’s happened.”

“And I know JUST who to call to help us!” Akko beamed.

**Outside Hanbridge Estate**

As morning lurked over the horizon, the charming heir to the Hanbridge fortune embraced the crisp, cool air. Looking briefly at his watch, the whirring of an engine was heard, and he looked up as a KND S.C.A.M.P.E.R. began to descend. “Is _that_ the kind of transportation they have on Earth? Humph…” He was less than impressed.

When the ship made land, Lee Andrew Grayson stepped off. “It looks like I’m at the right place.” Lee observed. “So, where are they, Andrew?”

Andrew showed him a small, brown box and opened it. Lee’s eyes widened at the nine tiny figures inside. “There he is! Hi, Lee!”

“A-Akko? Uh… what’re you all doing in there?”

“We’re trying to hide! Just take us to Sector V, quickly!”

“Well, okay.” Lee gently took the box and closed it. “Thanks, Andrew.”

“My pleasure.” He smiled. “Be careful with them.” Lee nodded and returned into the ship, lifting off within moments.

**Disney Castle; Monday at sunset**

_ BIG NEWS! Multiple planets report five ships blazing over their atmospheres, including Avalar, Coruscant, and the distant Milky Way Earth! Pursuit crafts followed them to Bobopolis, where they ultimately crashed and exploded! The crafts were too afraid to enter the planet’s bizarre atmosphere, but it seemed that no damage or casualties were confirmed, due to the world’s unfortunate habit of never dying. Just like bad jokes! The crafts were reported to look like crocodiles, so they could possibly belong to the Kremling Krew. However, authorities have yet to determine what their goal was. _

“I can’t believe this!” Mickey whispered, anger in his voice as he clasped the newspaper. He and his closest pals were on their way to his office. “I can’t believe Gruntilda failed. And for some reason, we still can’t find those girls. If word gets out about this…”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about _that_.” Hearing a strange voice, the three whipped around as Dillon York emerged from the shadows.

Donald and Goofy drew their weapons. “Gawrsh, is he a ghost?!” exclaimed the dog.

“Wait… you’re part of Earth’s Sector V, aren’t you?” Mickey recognized him.

“HOLY CRUD, Mickey Mouse knows me!” Dillon beamed. “But more on that later. We need to have a meeting, Your Majesty. In the office. …By yourself.”

“…” Mickey narrowed his eyes, glancing at his subordinates. “Stand down, fellas.”

“Ah, come on, King Mickey, I can beat this brat!” Donald shouted.

“Don’t even try.” Dillon glared. “Unless you want your precious secret getting out.”

Mickey’s pupils shrunk. “…All right. The office it is.” Mickey turned and calmly strolled to the wooden double-doors.

Entering by himself, he stepped toward his desk, the chair facing the balcony as twilight set over the kingdom. …The chair turned, showing Diana Cavendish, her hands folded at her chin. “Hello, Your Majesty.”

Before Mickey had time to react, Constanze and Artie Gilligan were suddenly at his sides, cocking guns to his head. “What…What is the meaning of this?!”

“You and I are going to have a talk. A talk about a… certain ‘T’ word-”

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into!” Mickey stated. “If more people find out what that is, it’ll throw the worlds into chaos! No peace, unrest, disaster, and I’m SURE you don’t want more of that!”

“And you don’t seem to want it either. So, I’m sure we’re going to get along just fine. Sit, Your Majesty.”

“…” Fixing his glare, the king chose to sit on the opposite chair. “First of all, King Mickey, the Kids Next Door already know your involvement with Gruntilda, and we have the means to make this knowledge public, with irrefutable evidence. You should also know that we shared the secret of the You-Know-What to some very trustworthy friends. They were asked to only reveal this secret in the event any of us were to die or be horribly injured. So, if you do not wish for people to know the truth, then here is my proposal: first, you will not attack Sector LN, Sector V, or ANY Kids Next Door sector in any way, shape, or form. If we determine that you are responsible, then your secrets are out.”

“Hmmmmf… Fine.” A sweatdrop trickled down his face.

“And secondly,” Diana extracted a paper, “I have written up a speech that I want you to address to the people of Appleton, tomorrow. Recite it just as we have written it, and in the end, you can still look like a good person.”

Mickey took the paper and skimmed over it. The king released a heavy sigh. “You’ve got a deal.”

**Appleton Palace; the next day**

“People of Appleton.” Mickey addressed to the kingdom’s eager citizens. “As you may have heard, this Friday, I was scheduled to sign a treaty with your king and make Appleton part of the Disney Alliance. Unfortunately… I regret to inform you that our plan is cancelled.”

Gasps erupted throughout the audience. “But why, King Mickey?!” King Appleday asked, heartbroken.

“Because I have done a terrible thing. A few days ago, I traded Vibranium with Grunty Industries in exchange for magic medicines. I did not know why she desired such a rare material… then, to my utmost horror, I learned of the attempted murder and genocide of an entire city on a distant planet. The ships that had crashed on Bobopolis were initially headed for Planet Earth, and the bombs were composed of the very Vibranium I sold to Gruntilda.” Horrified murmurs rang in Mickey’s ears. “I had no idea such a thing would happen as a result of our deal. Nobody had any idea. Except… for a group of Nine Witches.”

Everyone gaped when the witches in question stepped up onstage. Paul Hanbridge, Mr. Blackwell, Annabel, and many of them recognized the students from Luna Nova. They were the same red-eyed witch and green-haired Cavendish who shot down the strange missile. “These Kids Next Door operatives learned of Grunty’s plan through their own means. They tried to tell me, but because I was stubborn, I didn’t listen. I wanted to assume the best intentions in Gruntilda’s heart. But thanks to them, millions of lives were saved, along with Disney’s reputation.”

“You can’t be serious!” Mr. Blackwell stated in protest.

“So, those witches helped us again…” Paul Hanbridge sighed, cracking a smile.

“They certainly are full of surprises.” Andrew said, his eyes closed.

“Good job, Lotte.” Annabel smiled.

“Heh… Not bad at all.” said a shadowed witch with lilac hair.

“Ugh.” Professor Finnelan sighed. “At this rate, I’m going to run out of excuses to punish Miss Kagari.”

“So, you really DO punish her on purpose!” Ursula remarked.

“It’s to teach her respect!”

“But are you certain, Lord Mickey?” King Appleday asked. “It was only a mistake. I don’t fault you for it…”

“Thank you, Your Highness. But the fact is, these ladies had to put their selves in danger to fix my mistake. I don’t deserve to ask anything more from this kingdom. However, I will still lend my support to this kingdom as payment for their deed.”

King Mickey grabbed nine medals, and the witches bowed their heads as Mickey hung them around their necks. “It was an honor to be of assistance, Your Majesty.” Diana said humbly. “As Kids Next Door operatives, we will continue to protect this kingdom from any harm that should come to it.” Inside her heart, she was sporting a wickedly cocky smirk at the mouse king. And Mickey, in turn, glared at Diana with the utmost spite in his heart.

The mouse king about-faced and announced, “Let’s hear it for them, fellas! The Nine New Witches of Luna Nova!”

 _“HOORAAAAAYYY!”_ Everyone who was not a minister or a strict professor burst into cheers. _“Luna No-VA! Luna No-VA! Luna No-VA!”_

In the skies of the kingdom, Sector V observed the ceremony from their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. “You know somethin’… I like those girls.” Chris said with a smile. “Not just because they saved our lives; well, I guess that is the reason… but they remind me what I love about being an operative.”

“The cheers and the adoration?” Dillon remarked.

“Heh, not THAT! I mean the part about making people happy. Honestly, after everything we’ve been through… I wouldn’t mind feeling a little happy.”

“It would make me happy if they gave us credit.” Artie sighed.

“Oh, let them enjoy their selves.” Chris replied. “Besides… we’ve done a lot of crazy things as operatives. We sent a candy giant to the sun, we made the World Government our bitch… but no operative can safely say that they blackmailed Mickey Mouse. Yep…” He nodded. “Those girls are on to great things.”

“I just hope they know what they’re getting into.” Harry Gilligan replied. “After all, if they make their selves more popular, then sooner or later, more villains will notice them. And since they just beat Gruntilda… they could’ve made enemies of both Team Gnaa _and_ the Corporate Presidents.”

**Sweetopia; Throne Room**

In the darkness of a candy-coated throne room, the ceremony broadcasted to the Queen of Candy and her mushroom minister. “So, King Mickey is not aligning with that country after all.” Minister Goomnut said. “This should make kidnapping the Cavendish girl quite easier.”

“Yes, indeed.” Queen Sherry replied, biting off a chunk of a giant popsicle. Her voice thundered as she spoke, “And yet, I wonder if we should be concerned about those nine? If King Mickey is putting their faith in them…”

“Nonsense, My Queen, our Sweet Commanders can crush them with minimal effort should it come to that.”

“Perhaps. For now, we’ll pull back our troops from that world. But come January, we will capture Diana Cavendish. However… I am also interested in _that_ one.” Her tree trunk-sized finger aimed at Jasminka, the chubby witch happily chewing some congratulatory pies. “Could that girl be one of my descendants?”

“Hmm…” Goomnut narrowed his eyes. “She does appear to possess some of our traits. If I could get close to her, I can Tattle her and truly confirm it. If she is, then we would also have to find her family, naturally.”

“We can look into her around the time we kidnap Cavendish. But still…” On the screen, Akko had decided to entertain the audience, transforming into a winged manta ray, a bunny with a big nose, and when she blew her nose, it deflated and she morphed into a snake with a bulbous behind. “I have to wonder… if those nine would be fun to have at my party. Mmmma ma ma ma ma!”

**King Mickey’s carriage**

“Gawrsh, Your Majesty,” Goofy said, “are ya really gonna let them off just like that?”

“I couldn’t take the chance.” Mickey sighed. “This was the best deal they could’ve proposed under the circumstances. If I get too violent with the KND, then their supporters will rally against me as well, and that will just make things harder. On the other hand, if they try to antagonize me, they’ll be viewed as the bad guys. For now, I’ll just let them enjoy this victory.” He smiled and closed his eyes peacefully. “After all, I’m relying on them to dispose of the Four Emperors for me. Once that threat has been eradicated, we’ll move on to our next plan.”

“Your Majesty, there’s a hitchhiker.” the driver said.

“Well, pick him up!”

The carriage parked beside a man in a purple uniform and red clown hair. Mickey opened the door and allowed him inside. “Hiya, fella! Where ya head…ed?” (Play “Stardust Crusaders” from _JoJo_!)

The person in question appeared to be a very furious high school student. If it weren’t for the red hair to distract people, his eyes were the very image of death. “Tell me something…” He casually reached into his pocket and withdrew the Vibranium Bomb, despite its greater size. “Would this belong to _you_ by any chance?” Josuke indicated the mouse logo on the bottom.

“Quack! Those damn Wakandans, I TOLD them not to mark our logo!” Donald yelled.

“DONALD!” Goofy yelped.

“Ah… so, YOU’RE the ones who ruined **MY POMPADOUR**!!” The earth rumbled under his rage.

“Nonono! It wasn’t us!” Mickey panicked. “It was the witches! THE WITCHES DID IT!”

“Ah… witches, you say?” Josuke stroked his chin contemplatively. “Well, that is a problem… I really don’t enjoy hurting ladies. How many did you say there were?”

“There were Nine of them!” Donald yelled.

“Nine, huh? Alright then…” He sported a cool smile. “I’ll give you each _three_ times as many punches then.”

“You’re insane!” Mickey stated. “Don’t you know who I am?! I’m King Mickey Mouse! You’ll become a social pariah if you even TRY to injure me!”

“Try… You know, that word makes me think of something.” Josuke scratched his cheek. “Right… it reminds me of a certain game this friend of mine taught me.”

“A…A game?”

“Let me ask you three a question: what are your favorite animals?”

“Favorite animals?!”

“A GIRAFFE!” Goofy exclaimed.

“DOGS!” Donald quacked.

“What are you getting at?!” Mickey shouted.

“Interesting choices. But I have some of my own. Super Fist of SHINING DIAMOND!” An armored spirit emerged from his being.

“DONALD! GOOFY!” On their king’s command, the two tried to fight it, but its diamond-hard fists moved with unflinching speed.

 _“DORARARARARARARARARARA!”_ It was like being pelted by a thousand diamond dodgeballs, so much that they lost all sense of pain or feeling. Their flesh molded, bones restructured, their minds lost in illusions. _“DORAAAAAAAAAA!”_ His finishing blow was the Dora the Explorer Cannon, sending King Mickey and his pals blasting off into the sky.

“WAAAAAAAH/QUA-A-A-A-A-A-ACK/HWEEEEEE-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-HOOIE!”

Everyone in Disney Town GASPED when three figures CRASHED into Disney Castle, the entire structure exploding. Then, to their amazement, the castle began to reform, taking the form of a colossal Minion with banana towers. Citizens all around gathered and took pictures, and the children burst into ecstatic giggles. Hanging from the nose of the Minion were Mickey Pig, Donald Dog, and Goofyraffe.

“The Law of this Universe states… that all enemies need a proper ass-kicking by the end of every story.” Josuke said. “Well… ’guess I should get this hair done.” With that, he blew air into his thumb, inflating his hair. Slowly, Josuke ascended to the heavens, returning to his natural habitat.

 _King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were forced to change their IDs until their faces would revert back to normal. They waited in the DMV for six-and-a-half hours. When their faces finally went back, they had to get them changed again, and waited for twice that time._ (End song.)

**Unknown hideout**

“You were actually defeated by those two witches?” a girl with red eyes asked Mandy Beret.

“They tricked me!” Mandy shouted, not facing her. “They used their dumb parlor tricks to catch me off guard! Talking about _magic_ and _dreams_ and _happiness_ … I wished they woulda just finished me off.”

“Hm… To be honest, Mandy, it isn’t really such a bad philosophy to follow. And given what our position is, you were lucky to meet such kindhearted girls.”

“Just leave me alone, Akame.”

“Very well…” The red-eyed girl left the room. Alone in silence, Mandy was left to her thoughts. Even being aware of Bo-bobo Kempo, that was such a bizarre means of combat to the assassin. She wondered just what other battles could be won in such a fashion.

**On a train**

A mother was reading about the events in the newspaper. _GRUNTY INDUSTRIES UNDER INVESTIGATION! “Lies, lies, you don’t understand! The Kremlings ROBBED me, it was all their plan!”_

“Mommy, Mommy! Look, look!” Her 7-year-old daughter pointed at a picture of the Nine Witches. “It’s them again! It’s the witches!”

“Hm hm hm.” The mother smiled. “It really is the same witches, isn’t it? Well, hopefully they’ll be at Luna Nova by the time we get there.”

“I can’t wait to meet them!”

**Luna Nova**

After school was over, the Nine Witches rested their weary bodies under the shade of a tree. Diana confirmed that their medals were not bewitched in any way. “Hoooooh.” Akko sighed with exhaust, hugging the Shiny Rod to her chest. “I can’t believe my career paper got a stupid ‘C-’!”

“I guess you just didn’t dream hard enough.” Sucy smiled wickedly, staring closely at the tiny Capital B in her jar.

“Maybe next time you’ll put more thought into your goals instead of rushing to get it done in one day.” Diana replied.

“But YOU finished it in one day and you didn’t even HAVE a plan! Honestly, couldn’t Finnelan give us a heroes’ discount?”

“Oh, it’s not a big deal.” Lotte replied. “I’m just happy that we won and made it home safely. We should be proud of ourselves, you know?”

“Yeah… I guess. But I still wish Finnelan would cut me a break, though.”

“You just need everything to go your way, don’t you?” Hannah remarked.

“MISS KAGARI!”

“GYAH!” Akko shot up, her eyes met with the terrifying glare of, “P-Professor Finnelan!”

“Come with me at once.”

“Aw, what is it nooooowww?” Akko began crying.

“Quit whining and follow me.” The professor turned and marched away.

“Why don’t I ever get time to rest?” Akko forced herself up and trudged after her.

“Sigh… perhaps I should follow.” Diana figured, getting up as well. “In case something bad happens.” The others exchanged worried glances and decided to join.

“Can you please just tell me what’s wrong?” Akko pled as she was led around the front of the school. “I don’t see why we have to walk all this way… huh?”

It seemed that Professor Ursula was standing beside a woman and a little girl of 7 years old. “Oh, _there_ she is.” Ursula said.

“Oh-!” The girl gasped and ran in Akko’s direction.

“Gabriel!” the mother yelled.

Akko watched her curiously. She glanced behind at Diana, figuring the child had her eyes on the prodigy; it wouldn’t be the first time Akko had been in someone’s way. But to her surprise, the girl stopped before Akko, gazing at her with wondrous eyes. “You’re the girl from the TV!”

“The… TV?” Akko replied.

“We’re terribly sorry for intruding on you.” the mother said, approaching them as well. “But… are you the same witch who destroyed the missile back in February?”

“Uh… y-yes. Well, me and Diana; w-why do you ask?”

“My daughter and I saw it on the news, and she’s been thinking about you ever since.” Akko gazed at the child with masked surprise. For a moment, she wondered if she heard it right. “She keeps saying she wants to be a witch just like them, and she drew pictures of you. And just last week, we watched a Disney commercial, and she recognized you immediately. We looked up info about the commercial and it said that you were from Luna Nova. After that, Gabriel kept begging me and begging me to take her to see you… and eventually, I just sort of gave in. We picked a date, purchased a train ticket… honestly, I think we’re lucky that you were even here.”

“You…You came all this way to meet _me_?”

“Uh-huh.” Gabriel nodded. “It was the best thing I’ve ever seen! It looked so pretty and beautiful and I wanted to do it, too! My mommy says we don’t have magic, but I thought if I met you, you could teach me magic.” (Play “Pipo Password” from _Space Patrol Luluco_.)

“. . . .” Tears welled in Akko’s crimson eyes. The more she looked at Gabriel, the more she could only see her 6-year-old self, gazing in awe at the wonderful Shiny Chariot. To think that, one day, a child would be gazing at her with the very same expression. That one day, someone would think of her as a hero. “I…I… _I’m so honored…”_

“Now, Akko.” Ursula began with a knowing smile. “I’m sure she didn’t come all this way to see her idol cry.”

“Er… r-right.” Akko brushed her tears away. “Hey, Gabriel, do you have a favorite animal?”

“I like ponies!”

“Then get ready!” Akko drew her wand. “Metamorphie Faciesse!” And she POOFED into a lovely white pony.

“WOOOOOW!” Her eyes sparkled like stars. “Can I be a pony if I’M magic?!”

“You can be more than that! You can be a peacock!” She transformed and strutted her feathers. “You can be a tiger!” She became one with green and purple stripes. “Or how about a combination!” She became a dog with a giraffe’s neck.

“Ah ha ha ha!” Gabriel tried to reach for her head.

Akko poofed back to normal and said, “Come and meet my friends, Gabriel! They’re way more amazing than I am! Just wait until you see what they can do!”

“They’re better witches than you?!”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it! We have TONS of things here at Luna Nova, you’re gonna LOVE it!” Akko took the child’s hand and led her toward her friends in a hurry.

“Akko, ask if it’s okay with Mom first!” Lotte shouted.

“Hm-hm, it’s all right, just please watch after her.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Cavendish can keep an eye on them.” Finnelan said. “Miss Kagari can be too impulsive for her own good.”

Diana smiled, feeling only pride for her friend. To think a child that lived so far away, whom they knew nothing about and vice-versa, could be drawn in by Akko’s light. Diana remembered herself in that audience 11 years ago, having crossed the seas to a whole new country, for the sole desire of seeing Shiny Chariot.

_Akko… ever since you’ve come to Luna Nova, you only remind me why I love magic. The ability to do anything, to bring dreams to life, to create miracles… you embody everything I love about magic. Even when you act so ignorant… even when I tried to resent you… my heart was constantly warmed by your happiness, and my mind astounded. And I…I can’t imagine a life without that happiness. I can’t think of anything that would make me happier._

As Diana gazed at Akko’s beaming expression, all she could see was light. Warm, wonderful light that could melt the darkest hearts. A light that constantly drew her in.

_And that’s why…_

Professor Finnelan looked over Diana’s career paper. For the first time, she heavily questioned Diana’s reasoning.

_After much thought and careful consideration… I decided that I want a career—a life, in which I can truly be happy. I can only think of one thing in this entire world that fills me with true happiness. One day, Atsuko Kagari will realize her dream. She will become a witch that makes everyone happy. And when that day comes…_

Lights shone upon the stage, and from a burst of colorful smoke, Atsuko Kagari twirled her wand and posed with a shiny smile. And beside her, filled with just as much beauty and passion, Diana Cavendish.

_When that day comes… I will join Akko on the stage._

 

**You know, after writing this story, and rewatching _Witch Academia_ again, I’m just so glad I found such a rare and wonderful anime. I mean, it’s easy to find an anime or a (modern) Disney movie about chasing dreams, and yet, so few of them make me truly understand the beauty and value in having dreams. Hell, I can make a list of how much I relate to Akko, let alone how many ways this show speaks to me, but the bottom line is, this show reminds me why I love writing. Now that I think about it, this whole series was born from a _KND_ obsession, and even though I’ve long grown out of those overaged operatives, I still hold them fondly for getting me set on this path—which is EXACTLY the same with Diana and Chariot! And the Gameverse is about the KND growing out of their old traditions, which was also one of Akko’s philosophies. That’s just one of the reasons why these girls are PERFECT for the Gameverse.**

**All in all, I had fun writing for these characters, from Akko and Diana’s friendship, fleshing out the less-developed characters, and overall just bringing out their emotions. Oh, and that Gabriel girl who just appeared, she is actually the same little girl that made that tiny cameo at the end of the last episode. “The next Akko,” they were trying to imply! But to be honest, I don’t feel like I wanna end it here. I still feel like there’s more I can do with these characters. But as far as the main story, I’ll let this be it, but I may return here with new chapters if inspiration strikes me.**

**For now, what did YOU think of _Sector LN_? What’s your favorite chapter, favorite member, favorite scene, etc. etc.! Probably no point asking because I might definitely update this story some more. If you’re reading the series in order, the next story is _Index and the World Rings_!**


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